One 49ers Position Battle Just Took an Interesting Turn

Colby needs the reps at left guard. I doubt he’s checking all of the boxes and is blowing all of the coaches out of the water with his performances so far. The fact that Jones is stealing his starting reps means the coaches aren’t convinced.

It could also be that Foerster wants to see how Colby looks on the other side. Should Dominick Puni miss time, Colby can be an option at right guard while Jones fills in at left guard. 

However, it could be something more at hand. After a week of training camp, it’s possible Colby hasn’t done enough to create distance between himself and Jones.

Otherwise, why would Foerster want to see Jones and Willis at left guard with the first-string? 

It’s because he’s trying to see how the offensive line and the offense as a whole flow with them instead of Colby. He appears to be searching for answers, and rightfully so.

It’s not like Colby deserves to be penciled in as the starter. 

He was awful last season, and it’s probably still the case. Maybe this was just a one-time experiment at practice, but that means this will be intriguing to monitor closely as training camp continues. 

It should also be a call to action for Colby. They’re trying to find a role for him while seeing if there are better players behind him. If he can’t get it together and step up, he’ll be relegated. 

Maybe that’s for the best. If he’s this bad, he probably shouldn’t ever see the field. It’s a rough situation to be in for the 49ers as they figure out how to patch this hole on the offensive line.