There’s a glaring weakness on the San Francisco 49ers roster as the major waves of offseason movement come to an end. A couple free agent signings and a draft pick were used to address the 49ers’ vacancy at left guard, but according to ESPN’s Aaron Schatz, that didn’t stop that flaw from being the biggest hole on their depth chart.
Last season’s Week 1 starting left guard Ben Bartch, along with nine-game starter Spencer Burford, both exited in free agency, leaving the 49ers without a proven starter at the position. Second-year seventh-round pick Connor Colby became the starter in Week 3 after Bartch went down, but he was benched once Burford came back from injury, calling into question Colby’s viability as a starter.
In response to the pair of exits, the 49ers added veterans Brett Toth and Robert Jones to address that need. They also drafted University of Washington offensive tackle Carver Willis with the hope of moving him to the interior. Those additions didn’t impress Schatz, who circled the LG spot on the offensive line as San Francisco’s biggest roster hole.
Via ESPN:
There are four players ready to compete for the position. The probable starter is Connor Colby, who started six games last season as a seventh-round rookie. The 49ers also signed Robert Jones, who started a full season for Miami in 2024 and then signed with Dallas but lost the entire 2025 season to a broken bone in his neck.
The other two options are possible tackle-to-guard conversions from this year’s draft: fourth-rounder Carver Willis and fifth-rounder Enrique Cruz Jr. Both players were drafted higher than Scouts Inc. had them ranked for ESPN. (Willis was ranked 206th and went 127th, while Cruz was ranked 258th and went 179th.)
It’s interesting Schatz didn’t list Toth, who has played all three interior OL spots during his career and played 199 snaps at LG last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, including two starts. It’s also interesting they listed Cruz, who the 49ers seem to view as a long-term project at offensive tackle thanks to his measurables and athleticism. Moving him to the interior would likely stunt his growth on the outside.
Even if the 49ers have options at left guard, none of them inspire a ton of confidence. There are arguments to be made that San Francisco’s safety situation is their biggest hole, but their lack of sure things at left guard makes it easy to point to as the biggest hole on their depth chart.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers addressed biggest roster hole, and it still isn’t enough
Reporting by Kyle Madson, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
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