Tag: Ben Bartch

49ers may not need to look far to find 1 new starting OL

The 49ers’ 2024 depth chart could give us as clue to how they’ll approach fixing their left guard spot.

An overhaul of the offensive line looks to be one key priority of the San Francisco 49ers offseason.

Left tackle Trent Williams is expected to return and right guard Dominick Puni acquitted himself well in his rookie season. Center Jake Brendel and right tackle Colton McKivitz are also under contract for next year, but it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the 49ers looked to upgrade both of those spots.

The only spot wide open entering the offseason is left guard, where starter Aaron Banks is slated to hit unrestricted free agency. If the 49ers plan on letting Banks walk, they may not need to look far to find his replacement.

While the team would ideally throw a bunch of money or draft capital into the offensive line, they have other areas of their roster that need improvement which means finding cheaper, non-draft related ways to fill OL spots is imperative.

Two names on the 2024 roster jump out when considering what the 49ers could do to improve at left guard: Ben Bartch and Spencer Burford. They were the two backups for Banks this season and they both acquitted themselves well at the position in limited playing time.

Bartch, an unrestricted free agent, has been a work in progress since the 49ers signed him off the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad in the middle of the 2023 season. His move up the depth chart this offseason is a sign that the progress has been good. He was very good in his start against the Buffalo Bills in Week 13, and in 34 total pass blocking snaps this season he gave up just one pressure and no sacks. Bartch might have finished the year as the starter had he not suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 14.

The 49ers wouldn’t likely have to break the bank to bring Bartch back, and there’s a real chance he’d prove to be their best option at left guard.

Whoever gets the starting job to open training camp figures to have some competition, and Burford would provide that for Bartch (and whoever else the club deems as a starting candidate).

Burford struggled on the right side, but he largely played on the left side in college and it appears the swap helped him as a pro. Off the bench this season he had some ups and downs while moving around the line, but overall looked like he could be an effective player if given the chance for regular reps at left guard. He gave up one pressure in 38 pass blocking snaps at that position per Pro Football Focus.

The 49ers could prioritize left guard more heavily this year and bring in a starting-caliber free agent or a high draft pick. Given their other needs, finding cheap solutions nearby may be the better route. Bartch and Burford both flashed enough to at least be in the mix, and the 49ers may be wise to give both a long look as they aim to revamp their offensive front.

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49ers injury updates immediately following win vs. Chicago Bears

Kyle Shanahan updated the 49ers’ injury outlook and RB Isaac Guerendo’s status immediately following the win vs. the Bears.

San Francisco got a much-needed win on Sunday in its 38-13 blowout victory over the Chicago Bears from Levi’s Stadium.

With the win, San Francisco improves to 6-7 on the season, while Chicago drops its seventh straight and falls to 4-9.

During its dominance of Chicago, the 49ers did sustain a pair of significant injuries. Left guard Ben Bartch and rookie running back Isaac Guerendo each departed with injuries.

Afterwards, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Bartch is believed to have suffered a high ankle sprain and Guerendo might have suffered a foot sprain.

“We’re not sure. Possible foot sprain. X-rays didn’t for sure show anything, so we’ll have to look into it more tomorrow,” Shanahan said of Guerendo.

Already playing without starting left tackle Trent Williams and starting left guard Aaron Banks, San Francisco turned to Bartch up front at left guard.

Bartch exited on San Francisco’s second offensive series with an ankle injury and was eventually ruled out. Third-year pro Spencer Burford replaced Bartch. Burford was the 49ers’ starting right guard over each of the past two seasons.

Elsewhere, with running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason each placed on the IR this week, Guerendo made his first career start against the Bears.

Guerendo enjoyed quite the performance, too. According to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, Guerendo joined Huch McElhenny (1952), Earl Cooper (1980) and Carlos Hyde (2015) as 49ers with 100-plus scrimmage yards and at least two touchdowns in their first career start.

Guerendo carried 15 times for 78 yards and tallied rushing scores of 1 and 4 yards. The rookie out of Louisville also caught a pair of passes for 50 yards. But, Guerendo was sidelined with a foot injury on the 49ers’ second-to-last offensive series of the night.

The 49ers will cross their fingers for good news on Guerendo. In the meantime, Shanahan loved what he saw from the recent fourth-round pick.

“Brock got to a check down on that first third down. He was waiting on Kittle to get across the middle and that’s who I was watching, and then he went underneath to Isaac and they just dropped him.

“That was a huge play. I thought Isaac looked real good today. Ran hard, affected the game in the pass game and hopefully we get some good news on his injury. I had mixed emotions on that last drive. It was nice to be able to go on a 14-play drive to finish it with a touchdown and kind of put them away, but it was tough losing Isaac there,” Shanahan said.

Fourth-year pro Patrick Taylor operated as San Francisco’s backup running back against Chicago. Taylor promptly found the end zone on a 3-yard rushing score after Guerendo departed the game with his foot injury.

Taylor ended his night with seven carries for 25 yards and the lone score.

If the 49ers have to turn to Taylor moving forward, Shanahan sounded optimistic about what Taylor could provide.

“I think you guys saw a little bit today. When we’ve given Patrick runs, going back to the preseason and in practice, he’s a good runner, he hits the right spots, he runs hard. So, he’s a guy who can definitely help us.

“He had some big carries I want to say versus Seattle I think it was when JP went out and he was spelling Isaac. He had to spell Isaac today, and, when he went in, did a good job in all of his opportunities,” Shanahan said.

San Francisco starting quarterback Brock Purdy briefly exited the game after a roughing the passer penalty on Bears defensive end Darrell Taylor in the fourth quarter. Taylor’s body weight came down upon Purdy’s head and neck area, but Purdy quickly returned to the action.

Shanahan said there’s always initial concern when any player goes down, but he quickly found out that Purdy was going to be OK.

“Always when any of our players are down. But, they talked to me in my headset and stuff. By the time he got to the sideline, they told me he was good, so it was short-lived,” Shanahan said.

San Francisco returns to action with a Thursday night date against NFC West rival Los Angeles (7-6) in Week 15. The Rams sit a game in front of the 49ers in the division standings and just pulled off a 44-42 upset victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

49ers OL suffers another big blow after starter ruled out

San Francisco was dealt another blow up front as one of its offensive line starters was ruled out vs. the Chicago Bears.

The San Francisco 49ers‘ injury concerns up front continued on Sunday during the team’s Week 14 date against the Chicago Bears (4-8).

Thrust into a starting role, left guard Ben Bartch exited San Francisco’s contest on Sunday midway through the first quarter with an ankle injury.

After initially being listed as questionable to return, Bartch was officially ruled out by the 49ers. Bartch stepped in for left guard Aaron Banks who remained sidelined with a concussion.

Bartch was replaced by Spencer Burford. The third-year pro served as the 49ers’ starting right guard over each of the past two seasons.

In addition to Banks and Bartch being sidelined, longtime star left tackle Trent Williams missed his third straight game with a left ankle injury of his own.

Minus its two starting cogs on the left side of its offensive line and its starting left guard today, the San Francisco 49ers still managed to put together an explosive first half against the Bears.

San Francisco (5-7) racked up 319 yards of total offense, 254 passing yards, 14 first downs and averaged 8.6 yards per play in the first half against the Bears.

The 49ers led 24-0 at halftime and are seeking to snap a current three-game losing streak.

49ers starting LG leaves game vs. Bears in 1st quarter

The 49ers’ starting left guard exited San Francisco’s Sunday battle against the Chicago Bears.

The San Francisco 49ers’ injury concerns on the left side of its offensive line continued early on during Sunday’s contest against Chicago.

Thrust into the lineup as the 49ers’ starting left guard, fifth-year pro Ben Bartch exited San Francisco’s Sunday date against Chicago with an ankle injury. Bartch was taken straight into the blue tent for further examination.

ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reported that Bartch is questionable to return.

Bartch had been inserted into the lineup as the 49ers’ starting left guard because fourth-year offensive guard Aaron Banks continues to recover from a concussion.

Spencer Burford replaced Bartch at left guard. Burford was San Francisco’s starting right guard each of the past two seasons.

Bartch exited with San Francisco (5-7) in possession of an early 7-0 lead over Chicago (4-8).

San Francisco capped its opening drive of the contest with a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brock Purdy to wide receiver Jauan Jennings. That was the finishing touches on a 5-play, 70-yard touchdown drive.

Report: 49ers re-sign interior OL Ben Bartch

The #49ers bolstered their interior OL depth by bringing back Ben Bartch:

The 49ers are bringing back interior offensive lineman Ben Bartch according to Matt Barrows of the Athletic. Bartch, 25, will get an opportunity to compete for a roster spot and potentially a starting job in 2024.

San Francisco acquired Bartch last season when the team signed him from the Jaguars practice squad. He was with Jacksonville for three-plus seasons after they selected him in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft.

In his three-plus years with the Jags, Bartch played in 41 games with 20 starts. He appeared in five games for the 49ers last season and played 28 offensive snaps.

He’ll at least provide some versatility and depth for the 49ers up front, but he’ll also be in the running for a starting guard job as the team looks to shore up its offensive line.

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7 former Jaguars set to play in Super Bowl LVIII

The Jaguars still haven’t played in a Super Bowl, but a handful of their former players are set to play in the big game in two weeks.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are still one of 12 teams that have never won a Super Bowl and one of four that have never reached the big game.

On Sunday, the Detroit Lions spoiled their chance to scratch themselves from at least one of those lists when they blew a 24-7 halftime lead against the San Francisco 49ers. Instead, it’ll be the five-time champion 49ers meeting the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas in two weeks.

While the Jaguars will hope for better results in the future, a handful of former members of the team are set to compete for a chance at a Super Bowl ring.

Here are seven former members of the Jaguars who are set to play in Super Bowl LVIII (plus another two on the Chiefs’ practice squad):

49ers add new offensive lineman with injuries piling up

The #49ers are adding an OL to fill Talanoa Hufanga’s roster spot.

The 49ers are dealing with some injury issues on their offensive line, leading them to add a new member of the OL to their roster. Mia O’Brien of 1010 XL in Jacksonville reported OL Ben Bartch is joining San Francisco’s roster from the Jaguars’ practice squad. Matt Barrows of the Athletic confirmed the report.

Bartch will took the roster spot vacated by Talanoa Hufanga when the safety went on IR with a torn ACL on Tuesday afternoon.

The Jaguars selected Bartch in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. He played in 41 games with 20 starts across three-plus seasons with them.

Both of the 49ers’ interior offensive linemen, Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford, are hurt heading into Week 12. Neither player would have practiced Monday per a projected participation report. Banks is still working through a toe injury he sustained in Week 8, and Burford has a knee issue that cropped up after Week 11.

There’s a real chance Bartch could play Thursday in the 49ers’ game against the Seahawks. Their own practice squad options include undrafted rookie Corey Luciano, who was elevated for Week 11. They also have UDFA Ilm Manning and journeyman veteran Jesse Davis in the building who could be elevated for Thursday’s game.

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49ers reportedly signing Ben Bartch off Jaguars practice squad

The Jaguars’ 2020 fourth-round pick is headed west, according to a report.

The San Francisco 49ers are signing guard Ben Bartch off the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad, according to Mia O’Brien of 1010XL.

Bartch, a fourth-round selection in the 2020 NFL draft, worked his way into the starting lineup early in his career and won the left guard job in training camp ahead of the 2022 season. However, he suffered a knee injury early in the year that ended his season and caused him to miss much of training camp in 2023.

The Jaguars re-inserted Bartch into the Week 1 starting lineup this season, but benched him in favor of Tyler Shatley after three games. He was eventually waived after a trade to acquire Ezra Cleveland and landed on the practice squad.

As an addition from another team’s practice squad, Bartch will now be on the 49ers’ active roster. San Francisco has been without starting guard Aaron Banks in the last two weeks and right guard Spencer Burford suffered an injury in the team’s Week 11 win.

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5 Jaguars players who underachieved in the first half of 2023

These five Jaguars players are off to a slower start in 2023 than expected.

The way the Jacksonville Jaguars ended last season, it wasn’t hard to understand why there were high expectations in Duval — for both the team and several individual players, alike.

The Jaguars ended the regular season with five straight wins and beat the Los Angeles Chargers in dramatic fashion in the playoffs. Going into the 2023 season, more of the same was expected.

The Jaguars have started the season with a 6-2 record, but despite the impressive record, they haven’t gotten what they were expecting from a few players.

Here are the Jaguars’ five biggest underachievers through the first half of 2023:

Jaguars bring back OL Ben Bartch as practice squad addition

The Jaguars brought back Ben Bartch to the practice squad after he cleared waivers.

Veteran offensive lineman Ben Bartch was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad Friday, the team announced.

Bartch, a 2020 fourth-round pick, was waived by the Jaguars earlier this week after the team traded to acquire Ezra Cleveland from the Minnesota Vikings. The fourth-year lineman cleared waivers freeing him up to return on the practice squad.

To make room for the return of Bartch, the Jaguars released Coy Cronk, an offensive lineman who first joined the team in October 2021 and appeared in three regular season games with the team during the 2022 season.

Bartch, 25, started 11 games for the Jaguars in 2021 and earned the starting left guard job to begin the 2022 season. But he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 5 and was on the PUP list to begin training camp this year. After returning to the starting lineup to start the 2023 season, Bartch was benched after three starts.

While the Jaguars now have Bartch back in the locker room, his time with the franchise could be approaching its end with his rookie contract set to expire after this season.

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