San Francisco 49ers: Top 5 training camp position battles to watch in 2018
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: Offensive Guard
Players on Roster: Jonathan Cooper, Joshua Garnett, Mike Person, Coleman Shelton, Najee Toran, Alan Knott, Laken Tomlinson, Erik Magnuson
San Francisco’s starting offensive line in 2018 will look almost entirely different than it did a year ago.
The Niners changed out former right tackle Trent Brown for their first-round draft choice, Mike McGlinchey, and also traded away former center Daniel Kilgore after inking Weston Richburg in free agency.
Tackles and centers are more important in Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone system, although guard play could be of concern this season. Particularly when thinking about elite-level interior rushers, such as the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh.
There’s essentially a three-way battle for two starting guard spots, going between Laken Tomlinson, Jonathan Cooper and Joshua Garnett — all three former first-round draft picks.
Niners Wire’s Chris Biderman explained why Garnett could easily be the loser of this training camp battle:
"He missed last season after having knee surgery in August. And after playing in a power-based scheme at Stanford, he took on re-shaping his body to fit Shanahan’s outside zone scheme which meant dropping more than 20 pounds. … But the favorite for that job remains Jonathan Cooper, who became the team’s highest paid guard when he signed for one year and $4.95 million in March following a strong campaign with Dallas."
Garnett isn’t exactly a viable backup. As Biderman also noted, backup linemen need to have versatility. The Niners already have that with Mike Person and Erik Magnuson, who are capable of playing all five spots.
Even if Tomlinson and Cooper win the starting jobs, the depth behind these two will be a battle worth watching heading towards 2018.
Next: 49ers' 2018 'Who Is?' series: OT Mike McGlinchey
Particularly with concerns for Garnett’s future in San Francisco.