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Just when most thought this offseason couldn't get any more bizarre, the Niner Faithful were hit with two bombshells over the weekend as Anthony Davis abruptly retired and Andy Lee was traded.
While the shock may still be prevalent for most, it's important to take a step back and make sense out of what all of this really means.
Losing Davis a critical blow, no matter how the organization wants to spin it. Anytime you lose a 25-year old cornerstone offensive tackle, it's going to hurt. Just take a look at how poorly the 49ers' offensive line played last season without Davis for all but seven games.
When you consider the reasons Davis gave for walking away (or taking a break or whatever you want to call it), it's hard to blame him though. He talked briefly last season about how scary it was for him after his first concussion forced him to miss four games late in the year.
"It's scary when your brain's not working like it's supposed to and the culture of this league is, 'You're a big, tough guy,' " Davis said. "It's like a white fog. You look out and it's a white fog. Just having a simple conversation. You just feel slowed down."
The frustrating part is that this is the fourth San Francisco player to retire this offseason, and three of them did so in a surprising fashion. While Justin Smith calling it quits was expected, no one knew Patrick Willis' feet issues were that severe or that Chris Borland and Davis had fears about head trauma.
I think that more players will choose to walk away early in the coming years, it's just crazy that they all seem to be coming from the 49ers right now. But I also do not think this has anything to do with the 49ers' management as some have suggested. If these guys are so turned off by the organization, they would have asked for a trade. You just don't walk away and leave millions on the table because you're mad a the team and not seek employment elsewhere.
As far as the future of the right tackle position goes, replacing Davis will be a tall order. The team's next best tackle might be playing guard, so it wouldn't shock me if they consider moving Alex Boone back to the outside at some point. The other candidates would be Erik Pears (who is currently filling in) or rookie Trenton Brown.
The possibility of Boone could be intriguing though, especially if Brandon Thomas and Marcus Martin look good at the guard spots in camp. A line of Joe Staley, Thomas, Daniel Kilgore, Martin and Boone is compelling (at least to me).
Lee was coming off one of his worst seasons, and was due to make over $2 million dollars in 2015. That number was only escalating after that, and would have been nearly $3 million next season. Why pay that kind of salary for a punter who may be declining?
Couple his salary with the fact that the team used a fifth-round pick on Bradley Pinion in the draft, and the writing was on the wall here.
I think a lot of the shock with Lee being traded comes from the fact that he was a three-time Pro Bowler who had been with the team since 2004. In reality, moving on from a soon to be 33-year old punter whose best years may be behind him will not make or break the 49ers' season.
Al Sacco has covered the 49ers for various sites over the years. He's been a guest on multiple podcasts and had his work used by ESPN NFL Insiders and USA TODAY. Follow Al on Twitter @AlSacco49
