49ers training camp preview: Is keeping offensive line intact a positive?

SANTA CLARA – Continuity is great for offensive lines, and with the 49ers returning their starters from a year ago, that seemingly should benefit the offense — right?

Training camp at least should muster competition for some spots, mainly the backup roles but also the starting spot at right guard. Here is a closer look before the 49ers open camp July 23:

WHO’S HERE (AT TACKLE)

Tackles: Trent Williams, Colton McKivitz, Jaylon Moore, Brandon Parker, Chris Hubbard, Sebastian Gutierrez, Isaac Alarcon

Interior: Jake Brendel, Aaron Banks, Jon Feliciano, Spencer Burford, Dominick Puni, Ben Bartch, Nick Zakelj, Jarrett Kingston, Drake Nugent, Braison Mays

BIGGEST OUTSIDE COMPETITION

With Williams back as the All-Pro left tackle and McKivitz pretty entrenched at right tackle, the 49ers need to decide on each’s backup. Jaylon Moore, as usual, got valuable time at left tackle during Williams’ absence from the voluntary offseason program. Parker made 33 starts for the Raiders over the past five seasons. Hubbard is experienced but arrived late to the offseason program so his adaption will be worth scrutiny.

BEST ASSET

Williams is back for his fifth season as the 49ers’ blindside protector. Was there ever a doubt? Well, a year ago, he hinted at potential retirement, and the last time the 49ers lost a Super Bowl, their left tackle retired (see: Joe Staley, 2020). Williams became a perennial All-Pro since signing a market-setting contract in 2021, and while a merited raise could be on the horizon, it’s more likely ticketed for next summer.

FINDING RIGHT FIT

Feliciano overtook Burford as the starting right guard last season. Feliciano’s exit from the Super Bowl with an elbow injury thrust Burford into action – and, unfortunately, he whiffed on blocking Chris Jones as Brock Purdy’s final overtime pass sailed incomplete. This might not be a Feliciano-vs.-Burford matchup. Puni enters the mix as a powerful third-round option whose versatility will at least make him a backup across the board.

CENTER OF ATTENTION

Brendel again will be snapping the ball to Purdy, seeing how well that battery has worked. But who will back up Brendel? It could be Feliciano, whether or not he wins the right guard starting job. Or Bartch, a veteran who came aboard last season. Zakelj, Purdy’s roommate for the previous two years, looks to be back on the ascent after last year’s biceps tear. The wild card in all this is Nugent, a former Stanford center who won the national championship as Michigan’s center last season.