The 49ers' Most Important Training Camp Battle

The 49ers won't have a juicy quarterback competition this year, but they will have some important training camp battles to monitor.

Jun 11, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive linemen work on blocking skills during a team OTA at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The 49ers won't have a juicy quarterback competition this year, but they will have some important training camp battles to monitor.

Dee Winters will compete against rookie Nick Martin to start next to Fred Warner. And Tre Brown will compete with rookie Upton Stout to start at nickelback.

But the No. 1 training camp battle to watch this year, according to Pro Football Network, will be at left guard.

"Aaron Banks departed for Green Bay this offseason, leaving a hole at left guard for the San Francisco 49ers in 2025," writes PFN's Jacob Infante. "They seem to have trust in Ben Bartch taking over, seeing as though they didn’t draft an offensive lineman until Round 7 this year.

"Bartch only has 10 starts since 2022, though. In his lone year as a starter, he allowed three sacks and 24 pressures for Jacksonville in 2021. Spencer Burford started at guard for San Francisco in 2022 and 2023 before getting demoted last year. Could he work his way back into the starting lineup?"

It appears the 49ers plan to move Burford to backup left tackle to replace Jaylon Moore, who backed up Trent Williams from 2021 to 2024 before signing with the Chiefs this offseason.

At left guard, the 49ers appear fully committed to Ben Bartch -- he might not have to compete for the job. Remember, starting center Jake Brendel and starting right tackle Colton McKivitz used to be backups on the 49ers. They were handed starting jobs when the 49ers lost Alex Mack and Mike McGlinchey. It seems the 49ers hope Bartch can be their next bargain-bin starter.

We'll see if they're right.