Jeremy Zuttah Traded to 49ers; Ravens Swap 6th-Round Picks

The San Francisco 49ers have boosted their offensive line by acquiring center Jeremy Zuttah from the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday.       

The Ravens announced the deal, which also involves the two teams exchanging sixth-round picks. Baltimore will now have the 186th pick, and San Francisco will select 198th in April's draft. 

Albert Breer of The MMQB noted Zuttah has previous experience playing in 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's scheme.

The trade also comes with financial relief for the Ravens. According to Spotrac, Zuttah has a $4.6 million cap hit next season and is signed through 2018. 

The 30-year-old has been the Ravens' starting center since the team acquired him from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014. He started all 16 games in two of his three seasons with the Ravens, missing seven games in 2015 because of a torn pectoral muscle. 

Zuttah had a strong bounce-back campaign in 2016, when he was named to his first Pro Bowl. He was also 13th among all NFL centers with an 82.7 overall grade, per Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus. 

The 49ers needed to add depth at center after waiving Marcus Martin, who appeared in four games last season. Daniel Kilgore, who was the primary center in 2016 with 13 starts, struggled with just a 72.8 overall grade, per Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus. 

Zuttah is an upgrade over what the 49ers had, and his understanding of what Shanahan wants to do on the offensive line will provide some stability in the trenches as the team continues to build toward the future after a 2-14 performance last season.