The 49ers added some talent and experience to the middle of their offensive line Tuesday by agreeing to a five-year deal with former Giants center Weston Richburg.
The question is, where will he play?
The Niners this offseason already agreed to a contract extension with center Daniel Kilgore, who had developed such a good rapport with new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo that Garoppolo lobbied for the team to re-sign him.
Now comes Richburg, who could either compete with Kilgore or move into a guard spot – an area of need.
Richburg and the 49ers have agree to a five-year deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Richburg, 26, was a second-round pick of the Giants out of Colorado State in 2014. The 6-foot-3, 298-pounder played left guard in his rookie year in New York, starting 15 games, but has played center the past three seasons. In 2017, he played just four games because of a concussion. His previous two years, Richburg started 31 of 32 games and graded as one of the top pass-blocking centers in the NFL. In fact, Richburg was ranked among the top-10 free agents on offense by the analytic website Pro Football Focus.
Former NFL lineman Geoff Schwartz, now a football analyst on SiriusXM NFL, wrote Tuesday on Twitter that he believes Richburg will win the competition at center, which will move Kilgore to guard.
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Wrote Schwartz: “I’ll say this again. There is no competition (at center). Weston will be playing C for the @49ers. You’re not paying Weston all this money to play him at a position where he’s average (G). He’s playing C.”
