The 49ers went into the offseason knowing they had to improve the offensive line, so general manager Trent Baalke made several moves.
He signed free-agent guard Zane Beadles, used a first-round pick on guard Josh Garnett of Stanford and selected a pair of tackles from the SEC – John Theus and Cooper Fahn – to challenge second-year man Trent Brown and veteran Erik Pears at right tackle.
But apparently, they’re still interested in upgrading.
This week the Baltimore Ravens released veteran tackle Eugene Monroe and several teams – including the 49ers – reportedly are very interested in him. Josina Anderson of ESPN tweeted that the 49ers are in the mix, along with the Giants and Seahawks.
Monroe, a 6-foot-5, 310-pounder, was a first-round pick of the Jaguars in 2009 and is 29. He was the Ravens’ starting left tackle the past two seasons but played just 17 games while missing 15. The Ravens didn’t give specific reasons for cutting him, but his injuries and large contract (a five-year, $37.5 million deal signed in 2014) could have something to do with it. The Ravens also took tackle Ronnie Stanley with the sixth overall choice in this year’s draft.
Many believe, however, that it was Monroe’s continued advocacy for use of medical marijuana to treat the pain of NFL players – rather than opioids – that may have spurred the release.
Any team that does sign him will have to be comfortable with Monroe continuing that campaign.
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“I will do everything I can to ensure the generations of NFL players after me won’t have to resort to harmful and addictive opioids as their only option for pain management,” he tweeted.
