Injuries derailed Bartch's 49ers tenure. Now, he seeks a fresh start and a starting role with the Lions, leaving San Francisco scrambling.
The San Francisco 49ers are continuing to see changes along their offensive line, as former left guard Ben Bartch has agreed to sign with the Detroit Lions in free agency, according to reports.
Bartch, 27, was expected to play a key role for San Francisco last season but struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. He began the year as the team’s starting left guard but suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 that landed him on Injured Reserve and sidelined him for multiple weeks.
When he returned later in the season, Bartch split time at left guard, rotating with Spencer Burford and playing roughly half of the offensive snaps. However, his comeback was short-lived, as a foot injury ultimately ended his season.
In total, Bartch appeared in just six games, making it difficult for him to establish consistency or lock down the position long term.
Now, both Bartch and Burford are gone, with Burford previously signing elsewhere and Bartch landing in Detroit. That leaves the 49ers with a completely reshaped interior offensive line heading into the 2026 season.
San Francisco has already taken steps to address the position. The team signed veteran offensive lineman Brett Toth to a one year deal earlier this offseason. While Toth primarily served as a backup last year, he does bring some starting experience, having made four starts, and is expected to compete for a role on the interior.
In addition, the 49ers recently signed Robert Jones, another experienced option who started 17 games during the 2024 season with the Miami Dolphins. Jones is coming off a missed season due to injury, but if healthy, he could be a strong candidate to take over at left guard.
As things stand, Jones and Toth appear to be the leading options to compete for the starting job, with younger players like Connor Colby and even Vedarian Lowe also in the mix. That is assuming that Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz are the starting left and right tackles.
Even with those additions, the position remains one of the biggest question marks on the roster.
The 49ers could look to the NFL Draft to add more depth or long term stability along the offensive line, but historically, the team hasn’t heavily invested early draft capital in interior linemen under head coach Kyle Shanahan. For now, San Francisco seems comfortable allowing competition to play out. But with multiple departures and injury concerns surrounding the current group, left guard remains a position to watch closely as the offseason continues.