To make salary cap space, an easy projection for the San Francisco 49ers would have been to extend left guard Laken Tomlinson, who has been the one reliable player along the offensive line since joining the Niners before the start of the 2017 season.
Tomlinson got better as a player each year before having his worst season, at least statistically, in 2020. Tomlinson allowed a career-high in blown block percentage, which was 2.7% — his previous career high was 2.1%. Tomlinson also allowed six sacks, which was also a career-high.
In his defense, the quarterbacks playing behind him didn’t exactly get rid of the ball quickly or do their best to avoid pressure.