As of Aug. 6, Connor Colby was the leader in the 49ers’ left guard competition. He was reportedly “solidly ahead” of main challenger Robert Jones at the time. However, over the past week, Colby has potentially played his way out of the starting job in training camp.
In the 49ers’ first unofficial depth chart, which they released Wednesday, they list Jones as their top left guard. Fourth-round rookie Carver Willis is behind Jones, while Colby is nowhere to be found on the left side. Rather, the 49ers have him as their second-team right guard behind Dominick Puni.
The 49ers hoped Colby would “run away with the job” this summer, per Vic Tafur and Matt Barrows of The Athletic, but it hasn’t unfolded that way. Colby was a two-time All-American who made 50 starts at Iowa, a school known for churning out high-end O-linemen, but lasted until the seventh round of the 2025 draft.
The 49ers turned to Colby to make six starts in place of an injured Ben Bartch, though Pro Football Focus assigned the rookie an awful grade as a pass blocker. Only three of 79 qualified guards were worse than Colby in that category, per PFF. The 49ers wound up benching Colby in favor of Spencer Burford late in the season.
The 49ers lost Bartch (Lions) and Burford (Raiders) in free agency, but they brought in Jones on a one-year, $1.75MM contract with $1.64MM in guaranteed money. Jones, a 2021 UDFA with 30 pro starts, spent his first four seasons with the Dolphins. He rose to a full-time starting role at left guard in 2024, but after signing a $4.75MM pact with the Cowboys in 2025, he missed the entire season with a broken bone in his neck. Dallas placed Jones on IR last August. A year later, he is the frontunner in San Francisco’s LG race.
In other news regarding the 49ers’ offense, wide receiver Ricky Pearsallofficially underwent PCL surgery on Thursday. In a post-surgery update on Instagram, Pearsall revealed he is facing a nine-month recovery. Barring setbacks, he should be ready to go by spring 2027.