Jake Brendel has earned more credit than he usually gets, but the 49ers are staring at a center situation that could shift sooner rather than later.
Brendel has played better than many casual fans give him credit for, even if he’s part of an offensive line that looks ordinary outside of All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams. The bigger issue is age and timing.
Brendel is on the wrong side of 30, will turn 34 at the start of the season, and is heading into a contract year. Whether San Francisco is thinking extension or a new deal at all is unclear.
That’s why the 49ers may need a younger answer, and one possibility has been hiding in plain sight: Drake Nugent.
Nugent spent his first two pro seasons on San Francisco’s practice squad after going undrafted in 2024 and signing with the team. He has not played in a regular-season game yet, but his college résumé was strong. At Michigan, he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2023 and was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy, which goes to the nation’s best interior lineman.
At 6-foot-1 and 300 pounds, Nugent fits the profile of a developmental center worth watching. The question is whether he can turn that background into a real role in Kyle Shanahan’s system.
Shanahan has generally leaned toward experience at center, and that preference has shaped the position for years. Brendel followed a similar path himself, spending plenty of time on practice squads before becoming a full-time starter and arriving in San Francisco in 2020 as more of a journeyman than a sure thing.
Nugent is not the only possible answer, though. Rookie Carver Willis, who spent most of his college career at tackle, could eventually fit there too. And it would not be a surprise if Shanahan simply goes outside the building and brings in a veteran free agent when Brendel’s run ends.
Still, if Nugent has a strong training camp and preseason, he could do enough to make the 53-man roster as a backup for the first time in his three-year career. If that happens, it would be easy to start viewing him as Brendel’s likely successor in 2027.
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If Aiyuk does not file for reinstatement, the 49ers may be able to keep him on the Left Squad List, which would let him remain attached to the team without counting against the roster or salary cap. It is a potential escape hatch for a front office that has been trying to avoid a forced move, but the situation is still unresolved and the next step will determine whether this becomes a clean workaround or just another twist in a messy standoff. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Aiyuk Finally Spoke On Why He Is Done With The 49ers
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Aiyuk said his focus is on getting back on the field this season, but the relationship damage is obvious, especially with the dispute now spilling beyond the 49ers and into social media chatter as well. For a team that has spent plenty of time managing star contracts and roster drama, the unresolved part is not just what happened behind the scenes, but where Aiyuk goes from here with San Francisco still in the picture. [Read more 🡒]