49ers 2020 ‘Who Is?’ series: Ben Garland could start Week 1

The 49ers may need backup center Ben Garland to start early in 2020 with Weston Richburg still on the mend.

It made plenty of sense the San Francisco 49ers brought aboard journeyman offensive lineman Ben Garland aboard during the 2019 offseason, given two key factors: Garland previously played under head coach Kyle Shanahan when both were with the Atlanta Falcons in 2016, and the Niners were dealing with an injury and subsequent recovery to their starter at center, Weston Richburg.

As a result, Garland received the lion’s share of first-team reps in training camp last year, then eventually filled in for Richburg again late in the regular season and through the playoffs after the latter suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 14 against the New Orleans Saints.

Expectations are for Richburg to be back fully healthy in time for the 2020 regular season. But the lack of offseason workouts and the ability for team doctors to regularly visit injured and recovering players could hinder this.

So it’s no surprise San Francisco brought Garland back again on a one-year, $2 million deal last offseason.

The 32-year-old Garland saw the most amount of work ever in his career last season, starting three regular-season games and all three of the 49ers’ postseason matchups while filling in for Richburg.

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/23/2020.

Depending on Garland’s health, the former Air Force undrafted free agent might be tasked with starting again early in 2020 and filling the same kind of role he had a year ago.

Can Garland build on last year’s experience? Niner Noise’s 2020 “Who Is?” series takes a deeper look.

Why Ben Garland improves with 49ers in 2020

Aside from some snapping issues in a starter’s role last season — those are notable — Garland played about as well as could be expected from a second-team center.

Pro Football Focus awarded Garland with an overall 59.1 grade, split closely between 62.8 and 59.3 pass- and run-blocking grades, respectively, over a total of 236 snaps. Those aren’t terrific numbers by any stretch, but it’s hard to ask for much more from a player who started only 10 games in his career before joining San Francisco.

The idea of experience matters here, especially getting some of those crucial and high-pressure reps late in the season amid the team’s run up to and including the playoffs. Perhaps the veteran benefits from this, honing his real-time skills and cutting down on some of the snapping issues he had over his limited field time in 2019.

Why Ben Garland regresses with 49ers in 2020

At this point in his career, it’s safe to assume Garland is who he is: a reserve player good enough to hang around on the depth portions of a 53-man roster, yet he’s not someone teams would ideally like to field in a starting role.

Garland was credited with one regular-season fumbled snap in 2019, although there were a number of other near botches during his full slate of six games played. Again, some practical field time could ultimately cut down on this number heading into 2020, yet it’s just as reasonable to assume this is part of his makeup.

One should also not expect Garland to showcase any dramatic improvements whatsoever in both run blocking and pass protection. The Niners parted ways with right guard Mike Person during the offseason, then signing veteran guard Tom Compton to possibly replace him.

Given how offensive lines need time to jell, the early chemistry for Garland and his new right guard might not be there right away when Week 1 rolls around.

Chances of making the 49ers’ 53-man roster, predicted role in 2020

Garland rose to prominence out of relative obscurity last season, and it seems he’s on the same trajectory again. Aside from Compton and fellow linemate Daniel Brunskill, Garland doesn’t exactly have a lot of NFL-ready competition for the No. 2 center role behind Richburg.

This presumably means Garland’s spot on the 53-man roster is safe, although he’s still on the bubble, albeit the stronger side. Yet considering $1.14 million of his one-year deal is guaranteed, it’ll take a considerable effort from someone else to push Garland off the roster by Week 1.

The next X-factor is Richburg’s recovery.

Without getting too deep into the medical specifics, one has to wonder how much the Niners are preparing for their starter to be unavailable early in the season. Centers are the linchpin of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offensive lines, and the ideal scenario would be getting Richburg back as soon as possible.

So long as he’s healthy, though. San Francisco can ill afford to rush Richburg back, potentially setting the team up for a setback and elongated absence.

Because of this, there’s a real chance Garland is tasked with holding down the starting duties in the middle of the O-line to kick off 2020 until Richburg returns.