The San Francisco 49ers dealt with a lot of change at the guard position during the second half of the season, and it appears they are comfortable with more uncertainty on the interior offensive line in the playoffs.
Injuries to both left guard Aaron Banks and right guard Spencer Burford meant the 49ers fielded a variety of combinations at those two spots following the bye week, with veteran Jon Feliciano's versatility proving crucial as he spent time on both sides of the line.
Feliciano's success, which was most evident in the run game, appeared to have solidified him as the starter on the right ahead of second-year player Burford. However, Feliciano has recently dealt with a back issue and, asked if the 49ers had settled on a right guard for Saturday's divisional round encounter with the Green Bay Packers, offensive line coach and run game coordinator Chris Foerster suggested a rotation could be employed.
“We’re working through that right now,” Foerster said in his Wednesday press conference.
"Jon had some, we were working through some things the last week of the season. I think we’re going to see, probably you’ll see some of both guys in the game as far as who starts and who doesn’t.
"Although I’m not sure at this point, I think we’re working out through the week and it could be a hot hand thing, could be a let one guy just go with it and see, I don’t know. We’re still, both guys have been working and we have to have flexibility in there."
Not having a settled starter at a spot on the offensive line in a game in which quarterback pressure and the potential for turnovers could be a huge equalizer for the underdog Packers is, on the surface, a huge gamble.
Green Bay defensive tackle Kenny Clark registered 61 pressures in the regular season, while rookie Devonte Wyatt ended the year sixth in Pro Football Focus' pass rush win rate among interior defensive linemen with at least 200 pass rush snaps.
But the 49ers do at least have previous in terms of rotating at right guard, having done so with Burford and Daniel Brunskill last season. While it's an unusual step, the 49ers were not noticeably worse up front for it last year.
However, two wins away from the Super Bowl, it's tough to disagree with the sentiment that there's too much at stake for the 49ers to be adopting such a policy now.
Feliciano has outperformed Burford in both run blocking and pass protection in his time on the field this season. So, while Foerster says the 49ers are still figuring it out, it would surely behoove them to stick with the veteran as they look to finally get over the top in the postseason.
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