Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee answered a question today about OT Anthony Davis and his NFL reinstatement during a live chat. While Davis, who retired last offseason due to health concerns, has not yet filed for reinstatement, it was a comment about another offensive lineman that was interesting.
"It seems as if there is a crack in the door for Davis. Trent Brown did not appear to be in good shape yesterday and it was Erik Pears, not Brown, who was running with the first-team group at right tackle," said Barrows.
During practice yesterday, the 49ers first-team offensive line consisted of Joe Staley, Zane Beadles, Daniel Kilgore, Brandon Thomas, and Pears, per Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group.
While answering a question about who looked bad during that practice, Barrows identified both Trent Brown and Andrew Tiller, saying the following.
"I'm not trying to be mean. I want Brown and Tiller to succeed. They are classic underdogs. But they don't seem to have taken advantage of the golden opportunity in front of them when the season ended. Both were huffing and puffing and doubled over early in yesterday's practice. Of course, it's just mid May and they have room to get into shape before TC. But, gee whiz, Bruce Miller started losing 15 pounds when he learned Chip Kelly was the new head coach. I would have thought/hoped Brown and others would have had the same mindset."
On the other hand, Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area didn't seem to think much of the "huffing and puffing" by some, saying that there were numerous players doing that as the team adjusts to Kelly's fast-paced practices.
Thomas was a seventh-round selection by the 49ers in last year's draft. This year, the 49ers selected two tackles, using two of their three fifth-round selections on OT John Theus of Georgia and OT Fahn Cooper of Mississippi.
Barrows was asked to predict the 49ers starting offensive line. He listed Staley, Beadles, Kilgore, and Joshua Garnett as four of the five starters. As for the right tackle? "If I have to guess, I'll say Brown. But, again, it didn't bode well for him that he was with the second group yesterday," he responded.
