It's Becoming Obvious What the 49ers Will Do at Left Guard vs. Rams

The writing has been on the wall for a few weeks.

Aug 27, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Carver Willis (74) defends against Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (44) at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The biggest question mark for the 49ers entering Week 1 against the Rams is their starting left guard spot. No one has been able to separate themselves to win the job.

It goes to show how poor a job the 49ers did this offseason to address it. In any case, with the game set to kick off within a couple of days, it's becoming clear what the 49ers will do at starting left guard.

They're going to rotate players at the position. This is what they did a few seasons ago at right guard. The writing has been on the wall for almost a month.

Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak hinted at it a few weeks ago and did so again on Monday.

"When you look at guard, there's never any reason why guys can't rotate as well," said offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak. "I mean, multiple guys can play in the game and we'll see how the game goes with who we start and kind of how we want to do the rotation.

"But you’ve got to get a feel for how the game's going and how guys are handling stuff. So, nothing’s settled, nothing's determined right now. It's not going to be based on experience necessarily. We're going to go with who we think should start based on who's had the best camp and kind of where they're at and see how the game goes."

The 49ers' unofficial depth chart against the Rams has Connor Colby listed as the starting left guard, which is odd. He never received any snaps during the preseason.

Plus, they gave up on giving him starting reps at left guard a month ago. Either the 49ers really wanted to see what Robert Jones and rookie Carver Willis could do, or Colby was a lost cause to them.

In any case, whoever gets the start, I wouldn't read too much into it. The 49ers will be ready to pull out whoever can't handle it out there, which will be tough against the Rams' defensive front with Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett.

Maybe the 49ers start Colby and shuffle in Willis. Maybe Jones is the player who gets to shuffle in while Willis gets the start. It's difficult to say.

But I think it's safe to say there won't be a single player who receives all of the reps at left guard against the Rams. And if someone does, that's a great thing.

It means that player is performing admirably, which the 49ers desperately need.