clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Are there any free agent guards the 49ers should take a look at?

Position by position, we’re going to look at the free agents and see if there’s anyone you’d want to throw some money at.

The NFL season is winding down which means some players have contracts ending. Some players will get franchised or extended but others will be hitting the open market. We’ll take a look at each position and see if any hopeful players would be a good fit for the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers didn’t need running backs, but they are going to be in need of some guards. Be it free agency or through the draft, they are going to need some bodies. The team does have Laken Tomlinson on the left side, but that right guard spot has question marks. Joshua Garnett is still on the team, though for how long anyone can guess. Mike Person carved out a role for himself at right guard, but he’s scheduled to become a free agent. And if Person leaves, that’s a big gap to fill.

And Tomlinson himself may not be safe either. Maybe the 49ers decide to get competition on both sides?

Much like with fullbacks and running backs, I’m looping both left and right guards in this list and we can sort things out in the comments. There’s a lot available. For one thing, if you think the 49ers should give Marcus Martin another shot, that could be arranged (no, he’s not coming back). Zane Beadles is also on the market if you are so inclined to try him again.

But to get exactly what the 49ers need, right guard is the priority. They will need a good zone-blocking guard with some speed and agility to them, which narrows the playing field a bit. The 49ers could try getting a power blocker, but it might take more time to acclimate to Shanahan’s system

Many teams will run different run-blocking schemes through a single game, but the one guy who sticks out to me that knows the Shanahan scheme is Atlanta Falcons guard Andy Levitre. Yes, he’s a bit long in the tooth and yes, he’s a left guard, but Levitre has experience in Shanahan’s offense. If the 49ers wanted to plug him in on a two-year deal for the right side (or move Tomlinson over) they could then draft a guard of the future and have them develop.

Ramon Foster from the Pittsburgh Steelers is another name to keep an eye on. I don’t care about the offense over there, the Steelers run game has been dominant no matter who they put back there to carry the rock and Ben Roethlisberger has also had adequate time to throw the ball. Foster is worth a conversation even if the Steelers run a bit more of a power than zone run-blocking scheme.

Finally, Tre Hopkins with the Cincinnati Bengals could be worth a look. He’s 27, plays right guard, and from what I could tell, the Bengals run the outside zone quite a bit. So maybe Hopkins could have a fit?

Here’s your free agent guards per Over the Cap. Things could change with franchise tags and deals, but all of the below have contracts expiring. Would you be interested in any of these guards coming to Santa Clara?

Guards hitting free agency in 2019

Name Position Team Age
Name Position Team Age
Rodger Saffold LG Rams 31
Mike Iupati LG Cardinals 32
James Carpenter LG Jets 30
Andy Levitre LG Falcons 33
Ramon Foster LG Steelers 33
Ben Garland LG Falcons 31
Chance Warmack LG Eagles 28
Matt Slauson LG Colts 33
Billy Turner LG Broncos 28
Quinton Spain LG Titans 28
Byron Bell RG Packers 30
J.R. Sweezy RG Seahawks 30
DJ Fluker RG Seahawks 28
Shawn Lauvao LG Redskins 32
Mark Glowinski RG Colts 27
Kevin Pamphile LG Titans 29
Eric Kush LG Bears 30
John Greco LG Giants 34
Jermon Bushrod RG Saints 35
Earl Watford RG Browns 29
Zane Beadles LG Falcons 33
Mike Person RG 49ers 31
Tom Compton LG Vikings 30
Dakota Dozier LG Jets 28
Jordan Devey RG Chiefs 31
Marcus Martin LG Cowboys 26
AJ Cann RG Jaguars 28
Jamon Brown RG Giants 26
Jeremiah Sirles LG Bills 28
Oday Aboushi RG Cardinals 28
Patrick Omameh LG Jaguars 30
Brian Schwenke LG Patriots 28
Jonathan Cooper LG Redskins 29
Jeff Allen RG Chiefs 29
John Miller RG Bills 26
Andrew Donnal RG Lions 27
Zac Kerin LG Redskins 28
Jon Feliciano LG Raiders 26
Josh Walker LG Jaguars 28
Arie Kouandjio RG Redskins 27
Max Garcia LG Broncos 28
Jeremy Vujnovich LG Cardinals 29
Evan Boehm RG Colts 26
Bryan Witzmann LG Bears 29
Lucas Patrick LG Packers 26
Adam Pankey RG Packers 25
Elijah Wilkinson RG Broncos 24
Justin McCray RG Packers 27
Zach Banner LG Steelers 26
Matt Feiler RG Steelers 27
Jermaine Eluemunor RG Ravens 25
Isaac Asiata RG Dolphins 27
John Flynn LG 49ers 26
Jesse Davis RG Dolphins 28
Alex Redmond RG Bengals 24
Cedrick Lang LG Vikings 27
Trey Hopkins RG Bengals 27
Chris Reed LG Jaguars 27
Dorian Johnson RG Panthers 25