Right tackle Mike McGlinchey on Thursday sounded like a man who has a pretty good idea who is going to be positioned next to him along the 49ers’ offensive line this season.
The 49ers have yet to announce a starter at right guard, where Daniel Brunskill and veteran pickup Tom Compton have been in competition since the opening of training camp last month in Santa Clara.
Brunskill started games last season at right tackle, left tackle and right guard. This summer, he began seeing a lot of action at center after starter Ben Garland went down with an ankle injury.
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But Brunskill appears ticketed as the starter at right guard when the 49ers open the season on Sunday, Sept. 13, against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium.
“He understands that his role is to fill in wherever he’s needed, and this year he’s going to have a prominent starting role for us,” McGlinchey said of Brunskill. “And that’s going to be huge, because he’s a damn-good football player.”
Brunskill’s versatility last season as a backup was a key for the 49ers en route to winning the NFC West, earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and cruising through the NFC to the Super Bowl.
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It is a difficult assignment that could be overwhelming for a lot of offensive linemen, McGlinchey said.
“The little nuances of all that really makes your head spin, especially when you’re doing it back and forth every day,” McGlinchey said. “But Dan is going to be great.
“However it shakes out, he’s going to settle in and play really good football for us because he’s a really good and talented football player and a guy who’s really on his stuff no matter where he’s put in.”
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Brunskill appeared in 14 games last season as a first-year player. He started seven games -- and it appears he heads into the season with a position to call his own for the first time.
“He’s earned that from the way he played last year and (I’m) extremely excited for Dan and the opportunity that he has and he’s going to help us win a lot of football games,” McGlinchey said.