The 49ers’ Biggest Concern Against the Bengals

NFL.com writer Kevin Patra took a look around the league and ranked the 10 biggest remaining roster holes heading into training camp. Some teams appear set for the 2022 season. Others still have work to do, finding solutions to bolster potential weaknesses. Patra looked at each team's biggest weakness and ranked it against other teams' biggest weaknesses. The San Francisco 49ers came in at No. 2, with the center position being identified as the Bay Area team's biggest weakness. Assuming right tackle Mike McGlinchey returns healthy, the 49ers appear set (as far as knowing who the starters will be) along the edges of the offensive line.

Last week, ESPN analyst Rob Ninkovich looked at the 2021 rookie quarterback class and stated he expects Trey Lance to make the "biggest jump" in Year 2. Another ESPN analyst, Sam Acho, agrees with that prediction. Why is Lance the best second-year quarterback, in Acho's opinion? It's because of the weapons around him. The 22-year-old quarterback will have wide receiver Deebo Samuel (assuming the offseason rift can be mended) and tight end George Kittle at his disposal. "Yes, there was a reason Zach Wilson was the second pick overall last year," Acho said. "There's a reason Trey Lance was third, right? Because he's that good as well." More critical for

The San Francisco 49ers have faced some serious roster turnover with their offensive line, as left guard Laken Tomlinson went to the New York Jets in free agency, while center Alex Mack chose to retire after one season with the organization. In addition, right tackle Mike McGlinchey is coming off a torn quadriceps injury that sidelined him for the second half of the 2021 NFL season, although head coach Kyle Shanahan believes the Notre Dame product should be ready for training camp. Earlier this week, PFF's Mike Renner conducted his offensive line rankings for 2022 with several tiers: Minor or no weaknesses(tier 1), high floor(tier 2), high-end potential(tier 3), at

While there are several success stories of rookies flourishing immediately in the NFL, there are certain players, especially quarterbacks, whose learning curves require some more seasoning. Take Peyton Manning, who threw for 28 interceptions in his rookie year before becoming one of the best quarterbacks of all time, as an example. Earlier this week, PFF named ten players from the 2021 NFL Draft class that are under the most pressure to perform in Year 2, and unsurprisingly, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance was amongst the group. Lance, who was selected third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, played