Kyle Shanahan
Getty
Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers entered this offseason knowing their offensive line needed attention. The top two left guards from last season, Spencer Burford and Ben Bartch, were both hitting free agency. Burford landed with the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this month.
On Wednesday, Bartch found his next destination too.
Per the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch, Bartch is signing with the Detroit Lions, heading to the NFC North in his seventh NFL season.
What Bartch Brings to Detroit
Ben Bartch
GettyFormer 49ers offensive lineman Ben Bartch, who has signed with the Detroit Lions.
Bartch is not a household name, but the tape from when he has been healthy tells a clear story. Last season, he started Week 1 at left guard in a win at Seattle before ankle and foot injuries limited him to just six games and two starts for the rest of the year.
In those 200 snaps, the numbers were impressive. He did not commit a single penalty, did not allow a sack or a quarterback hit, and surrendered just four pressures across 100 pass-blocking snaps. His Pro Football Focus grade of 71.7 topped that of both Dominick Puni and Spencer Burford, who combined to fill the left guard spot after Bartch went down.
The Lions are getting a player who, when available, is a legitimate starting-caliber guard in this league.
Bartch’s Road to the NFL
The story of how Bartch got here is worth telling. Originally selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Saint John’s University in Minnesota, Bartch became the first Division III player drafted in five years. He arrived at Saint John’s as a 215-pound tight end and left as an All-American left tackle after adding 93 pounds over four years.
He spent three seasons in Jacksonville before joining San Francisco, where he made 24 career starts across his time with both franchises. Injuries have been the recurring obstacle. A dislocated knee that included ligament damage in 2022 has limited his availability ever since, and he has managed just seven starts since that point.
When healthy, though, the ability has never been in question.
What It Means for the 49ers
Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
GettyHead coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco.
San Francisco moved quickly to address the vacancy. The team signed Robert Jones to a one-year deal earlier this week. Jones has 30 career starts, including 17 with the Miami Dolphins in 2024, though he missed all of last season with a broken bone in his neck.
Jones, Connor Colby, and Brett Toth are now the primary candidates to fill the left guard spot heading into 2026. It is a group that lacks the experience Bartch brought when healthy, and the 49ers will need one of them to step up.
Final Word for the 49ers
Bartch gave San Francisco everything he had when his body allowed it. The injuries made consistency impossible.
Detroit gets a player with legitimate upside if he can stay on the field. The 49ers move on with a competition at left guard that will be one of the more interesting position battles of their offseason.
Someone has to win that job. The answer is far from obvious right now.