Wherever the 49ers needed Daniel Brunskill, that was where he played during his first three seasons in San Francisco.
He made his starting debut at right tackle in 2019 after spending that spring with the San Diego Fleet of the short-lived Alliance of American Football.
Brunskill began the next year at guard before shifting to center for the second half of the season.
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He started all 20 games at right guard this past season despite the club making a second-round investment in guard Aaron Banks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
“There’s versatility and there’s real versatility,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said of Brunskill last week at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“Danny’s done it and done it well. He can play all five positions. There’s tremendous value to that.”
Brunskill, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and defensive lineman Kentavius Street are the 49ers who are scheduled for restricted free agency next week, and the 49ers have some decisions to make on how to value them.
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Teams can try to sign their restricted free agents to multi-year extensions. They can also place tenders on their restricted free agents as insurance against them getting away.
For a one-year price of approximately $5.5 million, a team would receive a first-round draft pick from any team that signs the player to an offer sheet. A second-round tender comes at approximately $4 million, and a right-of-first-refusal comes at $2.4 million.
Here's what we expect to happen with the 49ers' three restricted free agents:
OL Daniel Brunskill
His versatility gives the 49ers a lot of options. He could be a starter at guard or center. Or Brunskill could literally be the sixth man of the offensive line -- the next-best player who could step in at any of the five positions.
It does not appear likely the 49ers will tender Brunskill at the second-round level.
They could try to work out a multi-year deal or tender him at the next level down and contemplate matching if he were to sign an offer sheet with another team. In that case, the 49ers would receive no compensation if the club opted not to match the offer.
The 49ers' strategy depends on what they feel about the other pieces on the offensive line.
Will veteran center Alex Mack return for a 14th NFL season? How do the 49ers feel about their ability to re-sign left guard Laken Tomlinson to a deal as an unrestricted free agent? Do they really feel as if Banks will be ready to contribute in 2022?
LB Azeez Al-Shaair
The 49ers rated Al-Shaair as a priority free agent in 2019 after his college career at Florida Atlantic ended with a torn ACL.
He made the 53-man roster as a rookie and started nine games over his first two NFL seasons.
Al-Shaair took on a prominent role last season when Dre Greenlaw missed a good portion of the season with a core muscle injury that required surgery early in the season. Al-Shaair register 102 tackles with two sacks and an interception.
If the 49ers cannot sign him to a multi-year extension, the most logical move would be to tender him at a second-round level at around $4 million. The 49ers want to keep him, and this would give them a nice draft pick as compensation if he gets away.
The 49ers signed linebacker Fred Warner to a lucrative contract extension last offseason. This offseason, Dre Greenlaw is eligible for a new contract for the first time. The 49ers will have to determine whether they can afford to keep all three players.
DL Kentavius Street
The strength of the 49ers last season was their defensive line rotation. Street remained healthy for the first time in his career during the 2021 season, and appeared in all 20 games and started twice.
Street registered the first three sacks of his NFL career. He had 27 tackles and six quarterback hits.
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It does not appear likely that the 49ers will make much of a financial commitment to Street, especially after re-signing Kevin Givens and Maurice Hurst on Thursday.
The most-likely option for the 49ers is to not tender Street but still try to retain him on a one-year deal at a near-minimum cost. With nine draft picks, the 49ers might believe they can add a late-round player or two for competition along the defensive line.