Former New York Giants offensive lineman Weston Richburg intends to sign a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers at the start of free agency on Wednesday, according to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN. He has experience playing both center and guard.
Former Giants' C-G Weston Richburg intends to sign a 5-year deal with the SF 49ers when free agency opens, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2018
Richburg, who played college football at Colorado State, was a second-round draft pick by the Giants in 2014. He has started 50 of his 51 game appearances with New York over the last four seasons.
Richburg's 2017 season was cut short by a concussion, which landed the offensive lineman on injured reserve after just four games. In the three seasons before 2017, he started at least 15 games in each. In 2015, he was graded as the second-best center in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
The belief is that Richburg will compete at center with Daniel Kilgore, who re-signed with the 49ers on February 14. Richburg is seen as a better center than guard and could be an upgrade over Kilgore.
Before his injury, many opponents, including Eagles defensive tackle Tim Jernigan, considered Richburg among the best centers in the NFL.
"I think he's a great player," Jernigan told NJ Advance Media last season. "I think he's one of the better centers that I've faced, I played him in the preseason in the past, but never in the regular season before this week. This year, I think he'll be one of the better centers in the NFL that we face. He's a physical guy. He's definitely chippy, and he definitely finishes plays."
Patrick Tulini contributed to this article.