49ers make pair of moves on offensive line
SANTA CLARA — The 49ers on Thursday made a couple moves to tinker with their offensive line, including the starting spot at right guard.
ESPN reported the team informed Mike Person, who started 30 games over the last two seasons, he would be released while the team agreed to terms on a one-year contract with veteran guard Tom Compton, a source confirmed to The Bee. Compton is a journeyman who will be playing on his sixth team, including Kyle Shanahan’s Falcons in 2016.
San Francisco’s offensive line was mostly solid last season, though Person, 31, was the weak point that was particularly glaring in the Super Bowl against Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones and in a December loss against Grady Jarrett of the Falcons.
Person dealt with stingers throughout the 2019 season that led to missing two games late in
the year. He was signed in 2018 to compete for a depth role but wound up winning the competition at right guard over a group of players that included former first-round draft pick Joshua Garnett.
The 49ers felt good enough with Person to give him a three-year, $9 million contract extension in May 2019. Compton made $1.6 million last season
with the New York Jets.
Compton, meanwhile, has spent his career primarily as a backup with the exception of 2018 with the Vikings when he started 14 games. He opened last season as a reserve for New York before starting five games at guard in place of starter Brian Winters. Compton was placed on injured reserve late in the season with a calf injury.
Compton was a sixthround draft pick of Washington in 2012, while
Shanahan was there as the offensive coordinator under his father, Mike.
Buckner on being traded from 49ers
You only get one chance to make a last impression.
DeForest Buckner nailed it.
The defensive lineman whose San Francisco 49er teammates voted him team MVP last season was traded to the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday for the 13th pick in the upcoming NFL draft. On Wednesday, Buckner chatted with reporters via conference call. Spoiler alert: he gets it. “It’s always tough,” he said in response to the obvious ice-breaking first question. “When you play your heart out for an organization, and you’re one of their key guys and you build a lot of lifelong relationships there and everything, to find out (you are) a possibility to be traded. With any guy in this profession, it would kind of hurt a little bit.”
In four seasons with the 49ers, Buckner had 28.5 sacks. He forced three fumbles and recovered seven.