SANTA CLARA – Ben Bartch, a potential starting offensive lineman, re-signed with the 49ers on Monday, two weeks ahead of the NFL’s free agency window.
Whether or not Bartch vies for a starting role, the 49ers sought that option as they face the prospect of losing left guard Aaron Banks and swing tackle Jaylon Moore in free agency.
Bartch drew praise last season after starting at Buffalo in place of an injured Banks, and Bartch’s encore start the next week against Chicago was halted by a season-ending high-ankle sprain in the first quarter.
“It gave him a great opportunity to get up and have an opportunity to show what he could do. And he did some good things, really good things,” offensive line coach Chris Foerster said of Bartch’s start in the 35-10 loss at Buffalo on Dec. 1.
Bartch (6-foot-6, 315 pounds) could return in a reserve capacity behind right guard Dominick Puni, who started all 17 games last season as a rookie.
Other interior linemen slated to return are center Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford, Nick Zakelj, and Drake Nugent. Jon Feliciano, a starting guard on the 2023 team’s Super Bowl run, recently announced his retirement.
Bartch, 25, played last season on a $1.1 million salary; terms of his Monday’s one-year deal were not disclosed in the 49ers’ announcement. He gained notoriety five years ago at the NFL scouting combine (which begins this week) where he revealed the ingredients of a protein shake that helped his transformation into an offensive lineman at St. John’s-Minnesota: seven scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, grits, peanut butter, banana and Gatorade.
A 2020 fourth-round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bartch made 20 starts and played in 41 games there before joining the 49ers in 2023.