San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan stands on the sideline. Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Why the 49ers should bench this starting offensive lineman

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Parker Hurley | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 1:00 PM ET

One of the biggest questions amongst the starting lineup for the San Francisco 49ers entering the season was who would be the left guard. Ben Bartch not only had outduel Spencer Burford and Nick Zakelj, but the team drafted Connor Colby and added UDFA Drew Moss. These two are the current backups after a strong summer, and Colby may be forcing his way into the starting lineup.

San Francisco 49ers should continue to start Connor Colby

This almost has as much to do with Colby as it does Bartch. First, Bartch has never ceased the job. He had two starts in two years with San Francisco, coming into the season and hardly winning the job in a training camp battle.

Bartch missed most of the summer with an injury, and when he came back, the team settled on Burford as a swing tackle, and Zakelj played himself out of the competition. He jumped in and started uncontested.

The injury is the other factor. Bartch got hurt in the preseason, which allowed Colby to play a lot with the starting group and the backups. That was valuable for a seventh-round rookie.

Dominick Puni missed one snap in Week 1, and it was Colby who stepped in. When Bartch went down after ten snaps in Week 2, Colby finished the game. He had ups and downs, but he looked strong as a run blocker and did not show an appreciable difference from Bartch, who has not been a significant starter as it is.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Bartch may end up missing more time, and it could make it an easier decision. However, it could be easy enough right now that the 49ers start Colby.

It is hard to see the future in a 27-year-old who has 24 starts in six seasons and four starts on the 49ers in the last three years. Meanwhile, a rookie at age 22, who has already been hitting the checkpoints that show he belongs, has much more potential to turn into something significant that takes the team up another level.

It would have been reckless to start a seventh-round rookie in the first game of the season, but now the toothpaste is out of the tube, and there is no sense putting it back in. The team may as well continue to roll with Colby until something happens to make them reconsider their opinion. The status of Bartch will be worth following this week.

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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