The left guard competition for the San Francisco 49ers remains unsettled with the team's Week 1 clash against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, just days away.

The 49ers will need to get their approach right, especially if their offensive line has to contend with a formidable Rams defensive front that includes Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett.


The leading candidates to take the field with the starting offense for the first snap are second-year offensive lineman Connor Colby and rookie Carver Willis. However, that doesn't necessarily mean either player will handle the position for the entire game.

"I think you play who you feel most comfortable with," offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak told reporters on Tuesday morning (Monday night in the United States). "I think I said this a few weeks ago, though. When you look at guard, there's never any reason why guys can't rotate as well. Multiple guys can play in the game. We'll see how the game goes with who we start, and kind of how we want to do the rotation.

"And you've got to get a feel for how the game's going and how guys are handling stuff. So, nothing's settled, nothing's determined right now. It's not going to be based on experience, necessarily. We're going to go with who we think should start based on who's had the best camp and kind of where they're at, and just see how the game goes."

The fact that the 49ers haven't settled on a left guard could give fans reason for concern. It could suggest that neither player has done enough to definitively secure the starting job heading into the NFC West showdown.

Still, Kubiak's comments indicate the 49ers are keeping their options open and could use multiple players at the position depending on how the game unfolds.


Kubiak was asked directly whether the 49ers plan to rotate players at left guard in Week 1.

"I don't know," Kubiak said. "We're going to have multiple guys up and multiple guys ready to go. So, whether they rotate or not, that'll be determined how the game goes."

For now, the 49ers appear comfortable entering Week 1 without committing to a full-game starter at left guard. How Colby and Willis perform early could ultimately determine whether San Francisco sticks with one player or turns to a rotation.

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