​Sep 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans center Jarrett Patterson (54) during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con The San Francisco 49ers had a busy weekend as they cut down to 53 players on a day that always has a degree of roster politics around. While a majority of the team’s moves were expected, there was one surprise: the release of veteran guard Robert Jones, who signed a one-year deal in the offseason.Jones had been a part of the competition at left guard, but that had been shifting towards rookie Carver Willis as training camp continued. Still, he could’ve been a depth piece for the 49ers after spending the whole offseason with the team.Well, questions were quickly answered as the 49ers traded for Houston Texans offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson, who was a sixth-round pick in 2023. Patterson, 27, has played in 39 games for the Texans, starting 21, with time at both center and guard. He played in all 17 games in 2025, starting five.San Francisco still hasn’t decided on a Week 1 starter at guard, but could also use some center depth with Willis now clearly being in the guard mix this season. What’s the plan for Patterson as he arrives in San Francisco, with Week 1 just over a week away?“To get him in the group right away,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Tuesday. “We love that he has some flex at center and guard. It’s still fluid in all our positions in there, so I want to see where he fits in the group in these three days. “That is the hard thing with not just going to Australia, but just not opening on a Sunday. The time that we’re usually used to making some of these decisions have all been sped up. So, I want to get him in the group, see where he fits, just see him in person, see how he can help us at guard, how he can help us at center, and how he stacks up to the other guys.”So, it seems the plan is to test Patterson out at both guard and center, although there isn’t much time to figure that out ahead of Week 1. Shanahan did add that he ‘does not know yet’ who the 49ers Week 1 starter at left guard is, pointing out that it’s fluid following the addition of Patterson.“Nope, [I don’t know the starter at left guard],” Shanahan said. “It’s the truth. Usually, we get all three of these practices, and then by that Monday is like when we come in and usually do leadership council, captains and, ‘all right, this is who we’re rolling with.’ But we haven’t had those three practices yet, and we just added a new guy to the group too. So, it’s truly fluid.”