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49ers RG Spencer Burford Fractures Hand, May Need Surgery

Burford is a solid run blocker who fits the 49ers run-blocking scheme because he's quick and nimble, but he struggles in pass protection.

Grant Cohn

Jan 7, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Spencer Burford (74) during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Spencer Burford (74) during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
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The 49ers won't have their starting right guard for the next few weeks.

Spencer Burford broke his hand in practice and may need surgery according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers expect Burford to miss roughly three weeks.

Burford has started 29 games in two seasons since the 49ers drafted him in 2022. But they benched him down the stretch last season in favor of veteran Jon Feliciano, who's currently injured as well. So the 49ers don't seem to have the utmost confidence in Burford.

That's why they re-signed Feliciano this offseason and spent a third-round pick on offensive lineman Dominick Puni, who started the past two practices at right guard while Burford has been out. If Puni remains healthy throughout training camp and Burford misses most of it, Puni most likely will win the starting job unless he simply isn't ready, considering the 49ers drafted him to replace Burford eventually anyway.

Burford is a solid run blocker who fits the 49ers run-blocking scheme because he's quick and nimble, but he struggles in pass protection. Last season, he gave up 6 sacks, and the season before he gave up 5. And that's because he's not a natural guard. He played left tackle in college and doesn't have the strength to hold his ground against powerful defensive tackles. So his side of the pocket often collapses whether he gives up a sack or not.

Offensive line coach Chris Foerster recently said that Puni's can hold his ground and anchor against bull rushes. If that's the case, Burford won't get his job back.

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Grant Cohn

GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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