The San Francisco 49ers got deeper on the offensive line on Tuesday with the reported addition of former Philadelphia Eagles lineman Brett Toth, who is a fascinating individual on and off the field.
Toth, 29, brings versatility to the 49ers, as well as a military background that has helped him forge an NFL career. Here's what to know about Toth as he makes his way to the 49ers.
After bouncing around for years, did he find his niche in 2025?
Toth (6-6, 304) first signed with the Eagles in 2019 after being granted a deferment on his military obligations to play in the NFL. Toth had brief stints with the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers since joining the NFL, but for the most part, his time has been with the Eagles, where he went through his share of moving on and off the roster while also spending time on the practice squad. Toth played in 20 NFL games between 2020 and 2024, three of them with the Panthers, while playing a total of 224 snaps on offense.
2025 was a breakthrough for Toth, who played in all 17 games for the Eagles, starting four. He played a total of 363 snaps, committed a total of three penalties throughout the season, and was graded by Pro Football Focus as the third-highest offensive lineman on the Eagles roster (73.6) behind Jordan Mailata (88.1) and Lane Johnson (77.4). Toth has played all over the offensive line in his football career, and he saw starts at guard and center during the 2025 season. But it seems he stood out in particular when he was called upon to play center when the Eagles needed him to fill in for the injured Cam Jurgens.
Toth was pressed into action at center in a 38-20 win over the New York Giants in October and played a big part in the Eagles racking up 276 rushing yards on the day. After the game, his teammates praised his performance and preparation.
"When we talk about Brett and what he means to this team, the patience that he has waiting in the water, finally capitalizing on his opportunity at center, we knew he was a center," Mailata said, per PennLive.com. "The last two weeks I thought he put up two great games back-to-back. Nothing's a surprise. Because we know the player we have in Brett."
Guard Landon Dickerson said, "It's tough because Brett's a swing guy. He kinda goes in for anybody. And for him to have a week at center, go in and make the calls, and he was playing against really good defensive tackles. I thought he did well."
Toth did not play against the 49ers in their win over the Eagles in the Wild Card round last season due to a concussion.
His road to the NFL
Toth played his college ball at West Point, where he grew from a high school standout tight end from South Carolina to an offensive tackle. Toth didn't think at first he would have a shot at the NFL due to what used to be a five-year military commitment that would have been required of him as a student-athlete at West Point, but when the rules were changed to narrow that window to two years in 2017 for athletes capable of playing pro sports, Toth saw a glimmer of hope.
Toth was stationed as a second lieutenant at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri in 2018, with duties that included leading a platoon and coordinating marksmanship ranges, according to The Athletic. In the summer of 2019, Toth's window of opportunity arose after he tried out for the Eagles and was granted a waiver.
When he was signed by the Eagles, Toth understood he would be representing much more than himself by starting an NFL career.
"Everything that I do represents the Army and what they instilled in me," Toth said in 2019. "I've got to carry that. It's a brand on me."
The journey Toth began in 2019 earned him a Super Bowl ring along with 37 NFL appearances, and now it will be taking a new step in San Francisco.
Where he fits with the 49ers
The 49ers currently have a hole at left guard, where they may be looking for a new starter in 2026 as Spencer Burford heads toward free agency. There's a long way to go for the 49ers in terms of offseason acquisitions, and it's likely they'll bring in others who are at least capable of competing for that spot.
Toth may be called upon to be among those competitors, but it seems more likely that he'll be a "swing guy" in San Francisco as he was in Philadelphia, as Dickerson put it. He brings size, athleticism and run-blocking ability that could make him a good fit in a number of roles in the 49ers offense, and the early guess is his best chance of winning a roster spot will be as a backup who may have a focus on the interior but can play tackle as well if need be.
His pre-draft process
In 2018, Toth interestingly enough became the first player in West Point history (69 years, at the time) to play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Toth was on the radar of NFL teams heading into the process, but he was viewed as a player who needed development in large part due to playing in a run-dominant triple option offense at West Point.
"I love this potential," one scout told NFL.com in 2018. "Coaches see guys like this as moldable clay who they can build from the ground up because he's disciplined, coachable and athletic."
While at the Senior Bowl, Toth told USA TODAY that going to West Point gave him a maturity boost he needed coming out of high school to help mold him into what he became.
"For me, the big one is what the academy has to offer," Toth said. "My maturation process was unbelievable going there. All my coaches can attest to it and, hopefully, my parents can attest to it. People throw out there: Do I regret it? Absolutely not. I couldn't imagine it any other way."
Toth ran a 5.14 in the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day along with a 10-yard split of 1.78 seconds, a vertical jump of 25 inches, and 16 bench press reps of 225 pounds. NFL.com graded him as a potential late-round prospect.
A smart guy, to say the least
Toth didn't exactly take it easy on the academic side of things while at West Point. Despite having his hands full with other activities, Toth decided to major in physics and nuclear engineering.
"I definitely made things a little difficult with that," Toth said, per the Pensacola News Journal. "It is a hard major. A lot of late nights studying. The people I am around every day in that major are just studs in the classroom. They are geniuses and they helped me greatly."
Not surprisingly, his smarts have translated well onto the football field.
"He played really [well.] He played really, really [well.] I mean, the guy's extremely smart," former Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo said of Toth after the win over the Giants. "He's detailed. He comes to work every day, he works his butt off constantly in the classroom. He asks really good questions. He's out in front of things. He wants to know the plan inside and out, and you can feel his detail and his energy out there. That's the biggest thing for him is you could tell that he wants to be good in every area and do anything he can for this team, and he put a lot of effort into it, so it was really good to see."
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