The San Francisco 49ers came out of Thursday night’s preseason win over the Los Angeles Chargers with plenty to like, but one issue kept flashing in neon: left guard is still a problem.
That spot has been unsettled all offseason and through training camp, and with the regular season closing in, it looks less like a depth concern and more like an urgent fix. Connor Colby entered as the favorite for the job, but his play has been rough.
On Thursday, the 49ers turned to Austin Pleasants, and that move backfired when he made a costly mistake that turned into a pick-six before he also hurt his knee. Rookie Carver Willis got a look there too, but he didn’t seize the opportunity.
At this point, none of the current options looks dependable enough to lock down the position. That’s why general manager John Lynch should be thinking about a familiar name: Laken Tomlinson.
Tomlinson spent 2017 through 2021 with San Francisco, right at the start of the Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch era, and he made the Pro Bowl in 2021 before leaving for the New York Jets. He’s coming off an injury, but he appears healthy now, and the reports are that he is ready and willing to play.
He’s 34, and there’s no reason to expect he’s the same player he was five years ago. Still, the 49ers are running out of time and options, and they don’t have much to lose by bringing him back into the picture.
At minimum, Tomlinson could be a steady veteran presence who helps stabilize the spot if San Francisco decides to rotate players there. In the best-case scenario, he looks like the answer and settles the weakest part of the offensive line.
If this were a rebuilding team with no real championship aspirations, the constant shuffling might be tolerable. But the 49ers are built to win now, and they can’t afford to have someone learning on the fly in front of Brock Purdy.
The left guard job is still wide open, and it’s becoming hard to argue the 49ers should wait much longer before trying to fix it. Lynch likely still has Tomlinson’s number. A call and a workout wouldn’t hurt.
In Other News...
49ers Suddenly Have A Quiet Strength That Could Swing Close Games
Special teams rarely grab the spotlight in August, but the 49ers have spent this offseason making sure the phase is no longer an afterthought. Replacing Thomas Morstead with Corliss Waitman gave the punting job a new look, and the club also locked in Eddy Pieiro with an extension, signaling real confidence in the kicking game as the roster takes shape.
The early returns have been encouraging in preseason play, with Pieiro knocking through multiple field goals and Jacob Cowing flashing game-changing juice on an 83-yard punt return touchdown. The coverage unit has turned in its own strong moments, too, and under Brant Boyer the group has looked more reliable and more disruptive, the kind of quiet edge that can end up mattering most when games tighten in the fourth quarter. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Running Back Battle Just Got More Complicated Behind McCaffrey
Kaelon Black kept making a case for himself in the 49ers preseason work against the Chargers, finishing with 33 yards on eight carries and adding another layer to a backfield that already has plenty of moving parts behind Christian McCaffrey. For a team that always has to sort through the margins at running back, every clean rep matters in August, and Blacks showing gave San Francisco another rookie to evaluate as the roster picture starts to come into focus.
The broader rookie class has been part of that conversation too, with Jaden Dugger and Romello Height drawing notice as the 49ers continue to sort out who can stick. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris also weighed in on the defensive side of the rookie growth curve, while the latest injury notes were more encouraging overall, with Deommodore Lenoir and DeZhaun Stribling listed day-to-day and CJ West and Dominick Puni back after concussion issues. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Veteran Core Makes This Feel Like A Win-Now Season
The 49ers keep building around the same familiar backbone, and it is a veteran-heavy one. Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel and Fred Warner are still the names that make this roster feel dangerous, the kind of core that can carry a team deep into the season if it stays healthy and aligned.
But the age on that group also changes the conversation in a hurry. With so many of San Franciscos best players already on the other side of 30, the urgency is obvious, because championship windows do not stay open forever and the 49ers know the margin for error is shrinking. The talent is still there, but the pressure to turn it into a title feels more immediate now than it did even a year ago. [Read more 🡒]