San Francisco 49ers' latest injury at problem area could provide significant opportunity for rookie to impress
The San Francisco 49ers have had to do a great deal of shuffling on the offensive line during training camp and preseason. While Trent Williams' holdout has obviously generated a lot of headlines, the 49ers haven't had difficulty filling the void, with Jaylon Moore stepping in and operating at left tackle as he did when […]
The San Francisco 49ers have had to do a great deal of shuffling on the offensive line during training camp and preseason.
While Trent Williams' holdout has obviously generated a lot of headlines, the 49ers haven't had difficulty filling the void, with Jaylon Moore stepping in and operating at left tackle as he did when Williams was hurt for two games last season.
It is the situation on the interior of the offensive line that is an undeniable mess.
The misfortune of guards Spencer Burford (broken hand) and Jon Feliciano (knee) has provided rookie third-round pick Dominick Puni with the opportunity to take the vast majority of first-team reps at right guard. He has impressed significantly and is arguably the favorite to start at that spot after a standout display in his preseason debut against the Tennessee Titans last weekend.
But the picture on the interior for the rest of preseason is getting increasingly muddied after head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed that starting left guard Aaron Banks broke his little finger, an injury that required surgery.
The 49ers are hopeful Banks will be ready for Week 1 but, with guard-center Ben Bartch dealing with knee irritation, it leaves them with a dearth of options at that spot.
Like Bartch, former sixth-round pick Nick Zakelj has also taken reps at both guard and center. However, offensive line coach Chris Foerster said on Thursday that Zakelj's strengths are better suited to the center position.
Depending on how many starters play in Sunday's preseason game with the Saints, Zakelj may well start the game at left guard before moving to center to take over from starter Jake Brendel.
But, with limited options behind Zakelj for the time being, the injuries could give another rookie an extended opportunity to build on a promising start.
Sixth-round pick Jarrett Kingston emulated Puni in posting a clean sheet in terms of pressures allowed versus the Titans, per Pro Football Focus.
Kingston excelled in pass protection and demonstrated impressive movement skills operating from right guard in the second half. He has received significantly less hype than Puni, but Kingston could attract more attention as a potential late-round find if he can thrive on the left side as well.
He played his final year at USC at right guard but has previous experience playing extensively at both left guard and left tackle.
As such, the difficulty level of switching sides should not be quite so high for Kingston.
While Puni now looks to be closing in on a starting job, Kingston is simply battling to make the initial 53-man roster. If he is asked to play some snaps at left guard against the Saints and has another stellar game while doing so, it will be a huge leap towards Kingston achieving that aim.
