San Francisco 49ers: Who is center Tim Barnes?
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise continues with our “who is?” series on San Francisco 49ers players in 2017. And in this installment, we look at center Tim Barnes.
The San Francisco 49ers added additional competition along their offensive line this offseason by signing veteran center Tim Barnes to a one-year contract right after the 2017 NFL Draft.
San Francisco’s O-line was less than ideal a season ago.
Despite some improvements from 2015, this group still finished at No. 30 in pass protection and dead last in run support, according to Football Outsiders.
San Francisco 49ers
One of the main areas of concern was at center. The incumbent, Daniel Kilgore, figured to be the starter to kick off 2017. But a slew of injuries, dating back to 2014, doesn’t lend a lot of confidence for the overall health and depth at the position.
Earlier this offseason, San Francisco also brought in Pro Bowl center Jeremy Zuttah via a trade with the Baltimore Ravens.
Zuttah could push Kilgore out of a starting job, although either player could bump out to one of the two guard positions if necessary.
Center is of extreme importance to head coach Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone scheme, which helps us understand such moves.
As such, Barnes figures to be a backup and, at least, provide competition during training camp and the preseason.
So let’s take a bit of a further look.
Why He’ll Improve
Barnes, a 2011 undrafted free-agent pickup by the Ravens, eventually landed with the St. Louis Rams later that year. He turned into a full-time starter in 2015 and managed to play in 32-combined games between 2015 and 2016.
Last year, Barnes posted a 71.4 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus — ranking 31st among 38 qualifying players.
In comparison, Kilgore’s 2016 PFF grade was 72.8. There isn’t much of a drop off here.
He has good movement, considering his 6-foot-4, 297-pound size, which makes him a decent fit in a zone-blocking scheme.
As such, it wouldn’t be too much of a shock to see him as a viable backup option for Shanahan this season. And Barnes’ quickness could also make him a viable candidate to bump out to guard if needed.
Why He’ll Regress
Despite the OK PFF numbers, Barnes has never been known as an above-average pass-blocker. And this could be a problem for him, considering the Niners don’t exactly have elite-level guards to help him out.
Barnes has his merits in run support, but his 61.3 PFF run-blocking grade last year isn’t exactly eye-popping.
If Barnes was playing within a good-to-elite O-line, we’d probably expect some decent production. Since this isn’t the case in San Francisco, don’t expect Barnes to be a major upgrade.
What to Expect in 2017
It’s not necessarily a bad thing to have Barnes inked as a backup and nothing more.
Zuttah is probably the most likely of this competition trio to start this season. Whoever loses the competition may either be a starting guard or an interior backup — crucial, considering the level of attrition O-lines can suffer.
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As a backup, Barnes is solid if not great. Certainly better than anything San Francisco has had in prior years (think Marcus Martin, who is no longer with the team).
Barnes isn’t a lock to make the roster, so we’ll have to see how he performs in training camp and the preseason. It’s possible he overtakes Kilgore in some capacity, although this would likely be due more to Barnes’ longevity than anything else.
Next: 49ers 2017 offseason review, grades and analysis
If he starts, it will only be out of necessity. Nothing more.