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I get that things aren't looking good for him, and agree with that perspective, but I do not believe that the timing makes sense in regards to him being cut this season. Traded? Maybe. Cut? Absolutely not.
He had a terrible rookie season as a starter per pff, but that comes with quite a few caveats that lend themselves toward Garnett getting a significant chance to prove himself.
1) As a Stanford grad, he got a late start for conditioning, ala Peat's rookie season.
2) #1 is further compounded by the fact that he played in Chip Kelly's system, one that demands peak conditioning and high snap counts.
3) His QB play and supporting OL cast was also terrible, which is an awfully tough playing environment for a rookie. Likewise, once Jimmy G entered the fold for them late last season, the O-line collectively saw a drastic increase performance across the board. There are numerous examples of this for O-line units league wide every year. The QB makes a huge difference, and because of Garnett's preseason injury, he was never afforded that opportunity.
4) Despite his performance on the field, Garnett was good enough to win the starting job that rookie season. This may or may not mean much, as pick status often gives a leg up on poor competition, and we've seen bad players do the same and phase out quickly (Stephone Anthony), but even Anthony was given nearly 2 healthy seasons and a third offseason for evaluation before being TRADED.
Garnett's previous experience up to this point has been primarily at LG, but Laken Tomlinson is heavily considered to be their starting LG after the extension, leaving Garnett's best chance at a starting role to compete with Cooper and Mike Person for starting RG. Both Cooper and Person are on 1 year contracts. Cooper's is a decent 4.95 mil (4 mil guaranteed). For reference, that's similar yearly money to what Senio Kelemente signed for with the Texans. Person is making less than 1 mil, and is a 30 year old vet, also with experience at LG. Even if Cooper wins the starting job, you still need depth for both Guard spots, and Garnett is a better choice for that role than anyone else on their roster. He wins the guaranteed salary/cap argument. He wins the youth argument. He wins the ceiling/potential argument. Barring something catastrophic on his end (significant injury or suspension), he isn't getting cut this season.
If he does, I'll be here ASAP to eat my crow and cross my fingers that the Saints or Broncos (my lesser 'other team') pounce on him if given the chance.
