Carver Willis is lined up to start his second straight preseason game at left guard, giving the San Francisco 49ers another look at the rookie as they head into their preseason finale in Las Vegas. The move keeps Willis in the center of a competition that still has not been settled with Week 1 approaching.
That is why his name is drawing attention now. Willis, a fourth-round pick who played tackle exclusively at Washington, has taken the lion’s share of the first-team repetitions over the past two weeks, a sign the 49ers want to see whether he can handle the switch in live game action. The club is still searching for a solution at the spot, and the next game may be the last chance to sort it out before the season starts.
Several other candidates have been slowed by injuries or reduced roles. Robert Jones is out with a calf injury, Brett Toth has been dealing with a concussion since Early August, Austen Pleasants is battling a knee injury, and Connor Colby has largely been pushed to the second-team unit in recent weeks. Kyle Shanahan said Jones is optimistic to be back at practice next week, but that timetable does not resolve the question of who will line up at left guard first when the games count.
Willis’ hold on the job has also come with some rough edges. Two weeks ago, his first 11-on-11 snap with the first-string offense ended with a sack by Osa Odighizuwa, and he gave up another sack later in that same practice. The 49ers have continued to give him work anyway, because guard is a different job from tackle and repetition matters more there than at almost any other spot on the line.
That is the gamble. Willis has the frame and the college background, and the 49ers know the transition can take time, especially for a player learning a new position inside their system. Colton McKivitz went through a similar change in 2020, when he tried left guard as a rookie before ending up back at tackle, a reminder that the adjustment is not always linear. Klay Kubiak has said Willis just has to keep getting better every day, while also noting that he likes where the young lineman is at and likes the way he is working.
The reason the spot matters so much is simple. The 49ers want better run blocking, and the numbers from last season showed how much that area slipped, with the team’s per-carry average dropping from 4.52 yards in the first eight seasons under Shanahan to 3.78 yards last season. It was the first time under Shanahan that the offense finished below 4 yards per carry, which gives the left guard decision more weight than a typical preseason depth chart fight.
So the next step is straightforward. If Willis holds the job through Las Vegas, he can turn repeated first-team reps into a legitimate claim on Week 1. If Jones gets back next week or one of the other injured options returns quickly, the competition could change again before the opening snap is taken.
