Offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill had the privilege of learning from now-retired veteran tackle Joe Staley last season, his first with the San Francisco 49ers. Now, he will have the opportunity to work with another Pro Bowl tackle in Trent Williams, assuming teams get back on the field for training camp.
Continued concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic have limited the work Brunskill and his teammates can do. NFL players have been limited to virtual meetings, and that could continue until training camps begin, at the earliest.
"It's definitely been different, but it's still going well, and I think we've done the best we can with the circumstances," Brunskill told reporters on Thursday during a video conference call.
As for his new teammate, Brunskill is excited to get to work with Williams, whenever that is allowed.
"I've seen that he's just a total professional on how he goes about himself," Brunskill said. "I watched a few clips of his tape, and he's definitely a beast, a great player, and he's going to do a great job for us."
The 49ers in April surrendered a fifth-round pick in this year's draft and a third-rounder next year to acquire Williams from Washington.
As for the loss of Staley, Brunskill touched on that a bit too during Thursday's conversation. While Williams is a fantastic replacement, the loss of Staley will be felt by the team.
"He's an amazing player," Brunskill said of Staley. "He's done so much for this team, this organization, and this city. It's definitely going to be a huge loss to not have him, but hopefully, he can still get in the building. He'll be around as much as possible, I'm sure. He's one of those guys that just love the game, so he's definitely going to be a big part of it."
Brunskill shared that both Staley and former 49ers guard Mike Person, who was released before the draft, took him in and taught him a lot.
"They instilled confidence in a lot of the young guys," Brunskill added. "Every time you did something good, those two guys were one of the first two to come up to you and say how good of a job it was, how good of a player you were, and definitely support you along the way."