Entering 2025, there was a legitimate thought the San Francisco 49ers could start a seldom-discussed offensive lineman at left guard, Ben Bartch, in the wake of losing longtime starter Aaron Banks to the Green Bay Packers earlier that offseason.
Considering how much Banks commanded on his free-agent deal in Green Bay, the cost savings alone from switching to Bartch made it worthwhile.
Except Bartch dealt with plenty of injuries in what was supposed to be his first full-time starting job for the Niners, limiting him to just six games over the course of 2026, two of them starts, and forcing San Francisco to come up with contingency plans instead.
Despite showing promise in fill-in roles late in 2024 that helped fuel his 2025 hype, it appears as if the 49ers had seen enough.
Ben Bartch signs with Lions (and the 49ers will hardly even notice)
There didn't seem to be any attempt whatsoever by the Niners to retain Bartch; general manager John Lynch instead targeting other free-agent linemen, such as Brett Toth and Robert Jones to beef up the O-line's interior.
Read more: 49ers free agency tracker 2026: Signings, departures, news and more
Those moves alone pretty much signaled the end of the Bartch experiment, and he subsequently signed with the Detroit Lions, as announced by the NFC North rivals:
Welcome to Detroit, Ben! pic.twitter.com/8yvNOaZg5V
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) March 25, 2026
From the player's perspective, it's good to know his injury-plagued 2025 campaign didn't wholly destroy his market value. When healthy, Bartch is certainly serviceable and worth the investment.
But San Francisco didn't get that health last season and made the easy choice to go in different directions. The hope is either Toth or Jones remain fully healthy enough to compete (and retain) a starting job at left guard, or perhaps a rookie via the 2026 NFL Draft comes in and steals it.
As for Bartch, one can hope he has the best of luck in Detroit.