Without officially declaring that the starting right guard job belongs to Mike Person, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan did say on Tuesday that, at this point, it is his to lose.
"I would say it's [Person's] job to lose right now, or however you want to say it," Shanahan told reporters. "Josh [Garnett] could beat him out but Person has been the most consistent since day one, and he's had a real good camp. We'll see what happens these last few days."
Garnett will play during the 49ers' final exhibition game on Thursday, according to the head coach, while Person may not. Typically, starters do not play in that last preseason matchup.
After missing much of training camp and the 49ers' first preseason game with a knee injury, Garnett played against the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. 49ers general manager John Lynch joined KNBR on Wednesday morning and discussed Garnett's return from injury and how he has looked in these past two games.
"We're incredibly proud of Josh Garnett," Lynch said on the "Murph & Mac" show. "He's a guy who, last year, encountered some knee issues, and it was going to be a stretch to get him back in the middle of the year. So we said, 'You know what? Let's think long-term on this, and let's put Josh on IR, and let's really let him attack this such that when he's out there, he's right.'
"Man, did it. He reworked his body. And then he comes back. When you've been away from football for a year plus, that's not easy. Your legs aren't underneath you. So we've watched this whole progression. Then his knee flared up a little bit because he fell on it. So a different injury but that's of concern when you have that history.
"So, it's been a battle for him, but I can tell you, in Indy, he looked really good. He was manhandling people. He was moving extremely well. The arrow is in the right trajectory with Josh. We're really proud of the work he's done, and he's competing. He's pushing Mike Person, who's done a great job for that right guard spot. That will be ongoing."
You can listen to the entire interview with Lynch below.
[omny https://omny.fm/shows/murph-mac-podcast/8-29-john-lynch-it-is-not-a-real-fun-week-but-it-i]