Joshua Garnett

49ers Depth Chart Moves: Recapping the Switch to Colin Kaepernick, Joshua Garnett to Start in Week 6

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The San Francisco 49ers elected to hand over the starting quarterback job to Colin Kaepernick and also give rookie guard Joshua Garnett his first start as the Niners gear up for their Week 8 contest against the Buffalo Bills.

Things needed to change for the San Francisco after five weeks of sub-par performances.

And they have.

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Head coach Chip Kelly, in his Tuesday press conference, announced Colin Kaepernick would start at quarterback in Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills. Kap replaces former starter Blaine Gabbert under center, whose struggles mandated such a dramatic move.

Pro Football Focus ranked Gabbert the No. 35 quarterback out of 35 qualifiers five weeks into the 2016 season — dead last, if you couldn’t figure that out.

And with the 1-4 Niners offense scuffling and stumbling, something, anything from Kelly would be a move in the right direction.

“We’ve had a couple of days to digest everything from where we are, and I think offensively we need to be better and just make a move,” Kelly said, via the team’s website. “It’s not Blaine’s fault. I think as a group, offensively, we need to be better in a lot of ways.”

Making a move is a fix. But is it the fix San Francisco needs?

Perhaps not. Not long ago, Niner Noise took a look at whether or not starting Kaepernick would be what the 49ers needed moving forward.

The conclusion was, essentially, switching from Gabbert to Kap would be necessary. But it’s far from an ideal scenario.

Kaepernick is still trying to bounce back from a forgettable 2015 campaign. And questions still linger about his health and various offseason surgery recoveries.

But at least we’ll see Kap in action, finally.

Joshua Garnett to Start at Right Guard

Certainly less heralded than the news of Kap being promoted, rookie first-round draftee Joshua Garnett is slated to get his first start at right guard this season.

Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News was first to report the move on Tuesday:

Colin Kaepernick is not only new #49ers starter. I hear Joshua Garnett, 1st-round pick from Stanford, will start at right guard in Buffalo

— Cam Inman (@CamInman) October 11, 2016

Garnett, who was taken No. 28 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, will start over incumbent Andrew Tiller.

PFF gave Tiller a 74.9 overall grade on the year on 308 total snaps. Garnett, in limited action (18 snaps) has a 65.1 overall grade.

Sep 1, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; 49ers offensive guard Joshua Garnett (65) looks on from the sideline during the second half of the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. San Francisco won 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The move isn’t as much about who is the better option. It’s about paying off the Niners’ first-round investment. And with San Francisco’s offensive line struggling in run support this season, slating Garnett — who was drafted primarily due to his run-blocking abilities — makes sense.

One might wonder if Garnett would be better suited for the left side of the O-line. Perhaps, but the right side tends to be a better option to play developing players, due to the Niners having right-handed quarterbacks.