The 49ers’ left guard battle has become one of the clearest jobs to watch in training camp, and offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak made it plain on Sunday what San Francisco wants to see before settling it: consistency.
What once looked like a wide-open spot after the departures of Spencer Burford and Ben Bartch in free agency has turned into a real three-way competition. The team didn’t make a major outside investment at the position, instead bringing in guards Brett Toth and Robert Jones on one-year deals and drafting Carver Willis in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Early on, it appeared Connor Colby had the inside track. The 2025 seventh-round pick was thrust into action after Bartch’s early-season injury and had a rough rookie stretch. Burford later slid back inside, and Colby’s snap count dried up after Week 8.
That picture has shifted in camp. Colby has been working more with the second-team offense, while Jones and even Willis have picked up first-team reps at left guard. Jones was listed as the starter on the team’s first unofficial depth chart.
Willis, a college tackle who looked like a natural candidate to move inside to guard or center, had a chance to push for the job, but a concussion cost him valuable practice time and left him playing catch-up once he returned.
Kubiak said the competition has its tradeoffs, but he sees value in the way it pushes the group.
”Yeah, you said three guys competing. There’s a double-edged sword to that,” offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said on Sunday.
“One is you do have to divide up the reps, and that takes some reps away from guys with the ones, but that’s okay because those guys are competing. And to me, when they compete, they bring the best out of each other, or that’s at least the goal.
Those three guys or four guys, however many it is, they come out every day with the mindset that they got to earn it and they got to be at their best. I think that brings out the best in those guys.”
For Kubiak, the deciding line isn’t complicated. The 49ers want the player who can do it the same way, snap after snap.
“But we’re looking for consistency,” Kubiak acknowledged. “We’re looking for guys who come off the ball and play with great technique, consistency.
And then at the end of the day, like, no matter who ends up starting Week 1, we’re going to need multiple guys in that spot. We always have.
Whether it’s injuries or guys needing a rotation, that’s just the nature of playing offensive line. So, this competition to me, whoever comes out of it in Week 1, it’s going to make that whole group better.
And like I said, we’re going to need all those guys down the road. So, to me, it’s an important part of our team is just guys competing and people getting better.”
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