The Detroit Lions continue to look for help on the offensive line in NFL free agency. On Monday, the team hosted free agent guard Ben Bartch for a visit to the facility.
Bartch is a fascinating player. In college, he played at a D3 school, St. John’s—the one in Minnesota, not the better-known one in New York. At first, he started out as a tight end for his first two collegiate years. Then he bulked up (eating an absolutely disgusting shake to help) and shifted to left tackle, where he eventually earned Offensive Lineman of the Year honors within the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).
Despite playing at such a low level of competition, Bartch garnered a ton of pre-draft attention. He earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl, where he stood out as a winner, and parlayed that into an NFL Combine invite. Eventually, he landed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, becoming the first player from the MIAC to be drafted since 2003, and the first from St. John’s since 1974.
Unfortunately, his NFL career hasn’t taken off as he’d likely hoped. Injuries have been the primary impediment to Bartch’s career. As expected, his first year was mostly spent in development, but in Year 2, he started 11 games for the Jaguars—all at right guard. He earned the starting left guard spot entering Year 3. But five games in, he suffered a dislocated knee, ending his season. The next year, he was the presumed starting guard again, but was benched and waived after poor play.
Since midway though the 2023 season, he has been with the San Francisco 49ers. He spent most of the 2024 season on the practice squad, while he ended up making the 53-man roster last season. But he missed all but six games last year with an ankle sprain (seven games missed) and a foot sprain (four).
Overall, Bartch has started 24 games, including at least one every season. Of those 24 starts, 11 came at right guard (all during the 2021 season), and the other 13 came at left guard.
Undoubtedly, the Lions are looking into his current health, considering he missed four regular-season and the 49ers’ two playoff games with his late foot sprain. But if healthy, Bartch offers experienced depth, high upside, and a strong athletic profile to compete for a spot on an NFL 53-man roster. If the Lions decide to sign him, he’ll compete with the likes of Christian Mahogany, Miles Frazier, Juice Scruggs, Michael Niese, Mason Miller, Colby Sorsdal, and Seth McLaughlin for a reserve spot along the Lions’ offensive line.
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