GETTY Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with general manager John Lynch after the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
After the San Francisco 49ers’ Shon Coleman and John Brendel opted out of the 2020 NFL season, it’s not surprising that the team has added to their offensive line.
While there is no official word from San Francisco yet, former Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Spencer Long appears to be joining the 49ers after his agent tweeted out the news on Saturday.
Congratulations to client @slong_61 on signing with the NFC Champion @49ers #nextchapter
Like the recently opted-out Coleman, Long has some versatility in his play, with time being spent at guard and center while playing for Washington, the Bills, and the New York Jets.
While not a prototypical swing tackle like Coleman, the 49ers may be thinking of shifting around other players and using Long as a backup for the interior instead.
Long’s Career
The 6-5, 318-pound Long came into the NFL in the 2014 NFL Draft after a successful college career with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, joining Washington as the 78th overall pick in the third round.
After appearing in five games as a rookie, Long then got his first start in the 2015 season and went on to start 13 games for Washington as he took over at left guard.
The next couple seasons, Long instead switched further inward, starting 12 games at center for Washington in 2016, and then 6 games in 2017, which ended up being his final year with the team as Washington decided not to hand him a second contract and test free agency.
The Jets came calling, with New York signing the former Cornhusker to a four-year deal worth $28 million. However, Long only spent the 2018 season with the Jets, starting 13 games before moving on.
This leads to 2019, when the 29-year-old joined Buffalo on a three-year, $12.6 million deal that was ended by the team this offseason after Long saw gametime in 13 games, but did not record a start for the Bills.
49ers’ Logic with Long
From San Francisco’s perspective, the deal makes a lot of sense. It’s unlikely that the team is spending very much money to sign a guy who has spent the last three seasons with different teams, but one who also has proven quality at the NFL level.
With the likely starters for the interior being Laken Tomlinson and Daniel Brunskill at guard and Weston Richburg at center, Long will be looking to compete for one of the backup spots behind them.
And considering that Brunskill and Tomlinson have both shifted to the edge of the offensive line in points in their careers, the 49ers now have another option to slide in should that become necessary.
Long will compete with Ben Garland, Kofi Amichia and Tom Compton most likely, but Garland and Compton are likely unmovable from their backup spots on the line.
Instead, the former Bill will be looking to beat out Ross Reynolds, who is currently battling for one of the last spots on depth chart.
Unless Reynolds and Brendel just prove to be better, one would expect Long to get that final spot or so, thanks to his experience and ability to play at any of the interior offensive line positions.
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Evan Reier is a sportswriter covering the San Francisco 49ers for Heavy.com and local sports for the Montana Standard in Butte, Mont. Reach out to him on Twitter at @evanreier and join our 49ers community at Heavy on 49ers on Facebook.