Right guard Mike Person has been a constant in the 49ers’ lineup since signing as an under-the-radar free agent in 2018.
But his streak of 30 consecutive starts came to an end Saturday night against the Los Angeles Rams. Person was able to suit up for the game and serve as a backup, but the 49ers opted to go with Daniel Brunskill in place of Person, who has been bothered with a neck condition.
And 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan intimated he expects Brunskill to remain in the starting lineup in Week 17, too.
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“Mike plays through a lot of things,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He was willing to play through that. His neck has been bothering him on and off for a little bit. We thought it would bother him too much in the game, that it would prohibit him from playing at a high level.
“We know it will help him to rest, but we also wanted to have him up in case of emergency if someone did get hurt. The fact that he does have center experience and can also play both of the guards, he was an important guy to have up.”
The assignment did not get much more difficult for Brunskill, who went against Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald throughout the 49ers' 34-31 victory. Brunskill got beaten for a sack and a total of four quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Still, Shanahan labeled his performance as “very impressive.”
Now, the 49ers must decide what to do at right guard on Sunday night against the Seattle Seahawks in a game that will decide the NFC West champion.
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Brunskill has stepped in admirably at right tackle, left tackle and, now, right guard. He could be a starter in the future, but a fully cleared Person is still the 49ers’ preference right now, Shanahan said.
“We respect the hell out of him for battling through all this stuff and still getting out there and playing, but we’ve got to make sure we don’t put Mike out there when he’s not at his best, especially with Dan getting the experience he got at tackle,” Shanahan said. “Now he’s been able to come in and step up at guard. Getting a fresh guy out there who’s healthy has helped the team. I know Mike will battle and be ready whenever need be.
“If his neck can heal up and allow him to practice then we’ll get him out there right away, but right now I don’t see that happening this week unless we see some drastic things change at practice.”