49ers training camp: Updated bubble watch after opening cuts
By Peter Panacy
49ers Offensive Line
Lock: Daniel Brunskill, Ben Garland, Colton McKivitz*, Laken Tomlinson, Mike McGlinchey, Trent Williams
Strong Bubble: Tom Compton, Justin Skule, Weston Richburg
Weak Bubble: Ross Reynolds, Jake Brendel, Shon Coleman
Long Shot: Kofi Amichia, Jaryd Jones-Smith
The only reason center Weston Richburg is on the bubble is due to his availability by the time Week 1 rolls around. Suffering a serious knee injury in Week 14 wasn’t good news for his offseason future, even though he initially expected to be back by training camp.
For now, he’s on the PUP list which allows Ben Garland, the player who replaced Richburg late in 2019 and into the playoffs, a spot with the locks.
The starters at both tackle spots, Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey, are both set while Laken Tomlinson will start again at left guard. There’s a key battle at right guard, though, where the versatile Daniel Brunskill will battle it out with one of the 49ers’ few free-agent pickups from the offseason, former New York Jets guard Tom Compton.
If Compton loses this bout, there’s a strong chance he winds up getting cut in favor of younger, cheaper options like second-year pro Ross Reynolds or the rookie, Colton McKivitz.
Same goes with swing tackle Shon Coleman, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 1 of the preseason last year. Should he lose to second-year pro Justin Skule, Coleman is likely on the outs.
As with a number of positions, depth is the key battle to watch for San Francisco’s O-line during camp.