Robert Jones
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The 49ers signed Robert Jones on Monday.
The San Francisco 49ers took a flier on a potential upgrade to their offensive line.
The Niners signed veteran guard Robert Jones on Monday to a one-year, $2 million contract after he missed the entire 2025 season as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.
Jones has played 49 games, starting 30 games with the Miami Dolphins before sustaining a neck injury on the Cowboys’ first full-pad practice of training camp in July. That injury cost him the entire 2025 NFL season.
The 49ers Signed Veteran Guard Robert Jones
Jones was an undrafted free agent from Middle Tennessee State in 2019 who progressed into the starting guard with Miami. He started all 17 games for the Dolphins in 2024 after starting just 13 of his first 32 NFL games over his first three seasons.
Jones signed a one-year contract with the Cowboys and was set to start at right guard before he broke a bone in his neck during training camp. The injury, sustained the first week of camp in Oxnard, California, initially was thought to keep Jones out for two-to-three months but ended up costing him the full season.
But according to NFL Media insider Tom Pelissero, Jones is healthy and set to return. Pelissero’s fellow NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport called the Niners move “an intriguing addition” for the 49ers.
By locking in Jones to a short-term deal, the 49ers can see if Jones is healthy and fully recovered from that injury without much risk if he isn’t.
Robert Jones is Likely to Start at Left Guard for the 49ers
Jones’ neck injury wasn’t his first that cost him significant time. He sustained a knee injury in 2023 against the Kansas City Chiefs that forced him to miss three games, even though he did not need surgery and returned to action that year.
Still, if Jones is healthy, he is likely to start at left guard for the 49ers next to superstar left tackle Trent Williams. Spencer Burford, who played 457 snaps for the 49ers at left guard in 2025, left in free agency after signing a one-year, $3.255 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Ben Bartch, who played 200 snaps for the 49ers in 2025, is also a free agent that the 49ers will not have back in 2026.
So according to San Francisco Chronicle beat writer Eric Branch, Jones is expected to compete with fellow undrafted lineman Brett Toth and 2025 seventh-round pick Connor Colby — plus any potential interior O-linemen the Niners select at next month’s draft — for the starting spot.
Obviously, there is time for things to change between now and Week 1 — especially since the Niners don’t even have an opponent for their first preseason or regular-season game. The 49ers are going to make more roster moves and bring in additional offensive linemen for depth and to compete against Jones.
But despite his relatively limited experience, and the fact he is coming off a serious injury, Jones is No. 1 on the depth chart and therefore the starter as things stand. He is the most experienced potential option for the 49ers, and if he’s healthy, he seems like the best option to protect Brock Purdy’s blindside next to Williams.