It didn’t take long for one of the San Francisco 49ers training camp battles to take a little bit of a turn.
Ben Bartch was one of eight players the 49ers placed on injured lists to start training camp. He was placed on the Non-Football Injury list, which means he sustained an injury away from the facility. It’s unclear what the nature of the injury is or when he’ll be able to return.
It looked like Bartch would be the frontrunner for the starting left guard job after playing well in brief stints last year as the backup LG. Typically when the 49ers have a “battle” on the offensive line in camp they give one player the first chance to hold onto the job. Bartch could have had a chance to get the first first-team reps and never relinquish a hold on the position.
If his NFI stint carries into the first practices, which begin July 24, it opens the door for other potential candidates to step into that role and create a battle where one may have never materialized. Spencer Burford should be in the mix. Rookie seventh-round pick Connor Colby could also push his way into the conversation.
There are a handful of camp battles to keep an eye on, but left guard got much more interesting with Bartch beginning camp on the NFI.
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