49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman chatted with the media today (transcript to follow tonight or tomorrow morning) and he confirmed what most were thinking: Alex Boone is winning the battle for the right guard position. He was slotted into the number one spot earlier this offseason, and thus far he appears to be doing just about what he needs to claim the job ahead of veteran Leonard Davis.
If you haven't caught any video or audio of Alex Boone, he's a very well spoken individual, with a solid sense of humor. He spoke with the media two days ago and I thought he provided one of the better interviews in some time. He went into detail about the things he has to work on as a guard, particularly focusing on the issues of getting down low. And he is definitely confident in his ability and what he brings to the table. The interview linked above is worth a listen when you get a minute.
As far as the offensive line is concerned at this point, the remaining decisions would seem fairly limited. Daniel Kilgore would seem to be the primary backup center, although there hasn't been a lot of discussion about that. Leonard Davis had a strong game against the Vikings, so he would seem likely locked in as the primary backup guard.
The question then becomes who is the swing tackle behind Joe Staley and Anthony Davis. If Kilgore and Davis are active, that gives the team seven active lineman, which would seem to likely make Boone the primary backup tackle, in spite of what the current depth chart says. The 49ers kept seven offensive linemen active most of last year. Will we see the same? If an injury requires Boone to rotate back to tackle, would that be the most effective option?