If the San Francisco 49ers are going to bounce back in 2025, they need a healthy season from Christian McCaffrey. And they need to hit their mark in free agency. And here is one free agent who can help fill the 49ers’ biggest offseason need.
Like many other NFL teams, the 49ers need to boost their offensive line. They must find a way to give Brock Purdy more time to throw. And they don’t have the resources to get it done with super-high-priced free agents.
So the best place they can start in Vikings tackle Cam Robinson.
Vikings OT Cam Robinson a good fit for 49ers
The 49ers have to be careful with their free-agency cash, and Robinson could be the right guy. He won’t be cheap at $18.75 million per year for three years, but he should be worth it.
He gave the Vikings a good piece for their offensive line after starting the 2024 season with Jacksonville. Pass blocking turned into a strong suit, according to Pro Football Focus.
“His 95.1 pass-blocking efficiency rating this regular season was the worst mark of his career,” PFF wrote. “But if anything, that’s a testament to his play over the past four years.”
Robinson even earned a game ball from Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, according to Sports Illustrated.
“For anybody who’s ever played played left tackle in the NFL, it’s one of things, when you can go out and block the man across from you, you can wear purple, you can wear teal, you can wear white, you can wear red, you can wear whatever you want,” O’Connell said. “But you show up on a Wednesday, have a couple days of work and go out and play like that, welcome to the Minnesota Vikings Cam Robinson!”
And his former offensive coordinator in Jacksonville hated to see him go, according to Sports Illustrated.
“We’ll definitely miss Cam [Robinson],” Press Taylor said. “Cam’s a guy that’s kind of been a staple here for us since we got here three years ago, whatever that may be. When you think of the Jaguars, honestly Cam’s one of the guys you think of.
“So, it’s tough to see somebody that gave so much for us while we were here in this regime, of himself to the team… So that’s always tough. You don’t want to lose anybody. We become a tight-knit group in the unit room that we’re in, but excited for Walker’s opportunity. We know Walker will step into it and do a good job.”
Jaguars players had respect for Cam Robinson
Also, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence spoke highly of Robinson, according to jacksonville.com.
“So, I’m grateful for him, always going to wish him the best,” Lawrence said. “He’s a guy that I’ve loved playing with over the past few years. And so that’s part of this business, right? The situations that change and losing teammates and friends and stuff in different areas, that can be tough.”
All of these things would bode well for the 49ers if they make a move for Robinson. He could have a major impact for the 49ers’ offensive line.
Robinson stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 335 pounds. He’s a veteran with eight years in the NFL. That’s another bonus the 49ers would receive. The Pro Bowl hasn’t called his name yet, but he started 17 games in each of the last two seasons.
49ers must find a way to keep Purdy upright
The 49ers must build a wall in front of Purdy if they want to be in the Super Bowl conversation again in 2025.
One problem with the notion that the 49ers could go after a lineman in free agency is the apporach by Kyle Shanahan. His philosophy differs from other NFL teams on the position, according to Sports Illustrated.
“I’m not too concerned about the ceiling (of a drafted lineman),” Shanahan said. “I want to know if he’s going to be a starting left tackle, a starting left guard, whatever, a starting NFL player. And if you are a starting NFL lineman, I think we can have a good team with you.
“Taking offensive linemen in the early rounds is the safe NFL play. You don’t get criticized if you can shuffle off a mediocre tackle to guard or some other variation. Taking wide receivers or defensive linemen could be riskier. But those are the players that probably can do more to help win games.”
Shanahan said the 49ers need playmakers first.
“If we have a bunch of starting NFL linemen (and) there’s no one who can score points, we’re not going to have that good of an offense,” Shanahan said.
Of course this leads to rosters that NFL “experts” love.
“I’ve never been on a team that was favored to win every game the whole year before the season started,” Shanahan said. “And we’ve been (listed as) that two years in a row. So what that tells me is people think we’ve got a really good roster. Well, if we were drafting only O-linemen, we wouldn’t have as good of a roster.”
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