The 49ers head into Week 1 against the Rams with a pretty clear picture on offense, even if the official lineup card still leaves a little room for movement. San Francisco has already put out an unofficial depth chart, and the starting spots on this side of the ball mostly look settled as the season opener arrives Thursday.
At quarterback, there’s no real mystery. Brock Purdy sits at the top, Mac Jones is behind him, and Kurtis Rourke projects as the emergency third quarterback on game days. That hierarchy appears locked in.
Running back is more interesting. Christian McCaffrey is the lead back, with Kaelon Black next and Jordan James third.
Black looks like the current RB2, though it would not be shocking if the 49ers used both backups behind McCaffrey early in the regular season to see who separates. There’s also the broader question of how much McCaffrey gives way to the group behind him this year, especially with him entering his age 30 season.
Kyle Juszczyk is the lone fullback on the roster, so if he were unavailable, one of the tight ends would likely have to step into that role.
The wide receiver group has a few moving parts. Mike Evans is listed first, followed by De'Zhaun Stribling, Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins.
Samuel may officially get the Week 1 start, but Stribling could move into the WR2 spot quickly if he carries over his preseason form. If he does, it might not take long at all.
If he gets off to a slow start, Samuel and Robinson would be expected to handle a larger share than originally planned.
At tight end, George Kittle is the clear top option, with Luke Farrell behind him and Jake Tonges third. Farrell is expected to stay the No. 2 tight end as long as Kittle is healthy. Tonges had a limited role on offense last season when Kittle was on the field, but if Kittle is limited in the opener, Tonges could see more work because he offers more as a receiver than Farrell does.
Up front, Trent Williams is set at left tackle, with Vederian Lowe as the backup. Austen Pleasants is on IR, which makes Lowe the only true swing tackle on the roster. On the other side, Colton McKivitz is the right tackle, and Lowe remains the next man up there as well.
The interior line is where things get thinner. Carver Willis is the pick to start at left guard, with Connor Colby and Jarrett Patterson behind him.
Patterson’s arrival makes sense because of his ability to compete at left guard and also back up center if needed. He is the only reserve center behind Jake Brendel, who is the starter there.
At right guard, Dominick Puni is in place, with Colby backing him up. The 49ers are still trying to settle the left guard spot, so they’ll be hoping Puni stays healthy all year given how limited the depth is inside.
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