The 49ers are 6-1 heading into their Week 8 bye, but that record hasn’t spared everyone on the roster from uncertainty. With injured players trending back and a Week 9 meeting with the Las Vegas Raiders up next, San Francisco could be making some uncomfortable decisions before the team returns to action.
Week 7’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons exposed a handful of players whose grip on a roster spot looks awfully shaky. Some are fighting performance issues.
Others are simply squeezed by the math of a healthier roster. Either way, these five could be on thin ice when the bye week ends.
Eddy Piñeiro may be the most surprising name on the list, especially after signing a four-year, $17 million extension. But missed kicks have become a weekly problem, and his missed extra point against Atlanta stood out enough to draw a blunt postgame assessment from head coach Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers could eat a significant dead-cap hit just to move on from the kicker, but if they decide they’ve seen enough, Piñeiro may not be on the roster by Week 9.
Brandin Cooks was brought in on the practice squad in late September to help cover for the rash of injuries at receiver, but he hasn’t done much to strengthen his case for staying. In four games, the 33-year-old has three catches for 33 yards and a touchdown, and his false start late in the fourth quarter against the Falcons didn’t help his standing. With Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson and De'Zhaun Stribling working back toward health, Cooks looks more like a temporary fix than a long-term piece.
Jack Jones has had a rough stretch as well. After San Francisco signed the cornerback in the offseason and saw encouraging moments from him in camp, the last two weeks have been far less kind.
Jayden Daniels picked on him in Week 6, and Michael Penix Jr. did the same in Week 7, when Jones also drew a defensive pass-interference penalty that extended an Atlanta drive at a key moment. The 49ers eventually benched him in favor of rookie Ephesians Prysock, and that may be the direction they keep going.
Ashtyn Davis appeared to be one of those early roster surprises when he missed the initial 53-man cut, but the safety hasn’t exactly made a forceful case since then. He’s been asked to step in for Jones twice, and in both outings he’s looked vulnerable, allowing two catches on two targets for 32 yards when targeted. Once injured safety Marques Sigle is back, San Francisco may be more comfortable moving on and giving special teams ace Siran Neal that spot in the safety room.
Christian Kirk rounds out the group, and his situation feels like another numbers issue. After missing almost all of training camp, the preseason and the first six weeks with a hamstring injury, he returned without much impact.
Against Atlanta, he played 20 offensive snaps and wasn’t targeted at all. San Francisco has already managed fine without him, and if he can’t provide a clear boost once the receiver room gets healthy, there may be no room left for him.
In Other News...
49ers First Loss Made One Thing About This Roster Impossible To Ignore
The first loss of the 2026 season did not come with much room for comfort, even if the 49ers still sit in control of the NFC West at 6-1 heading into Week 9. San Franciscos undefeated start and six-game road winning streak both ended in Atlanta, and the defeat came with the sort of issues that tend to travel with a team until they get cleaned up: shaky ball security, a pass rush that could not create enough disruption, and a game plan that had to survive through several key injuries.
Christian McCaffrey was part of the injury storyline, briefly leaving with a thigh scare before returning, which only added to the feeling that this was one of those Sundays where everything got tested at once. The bye week now arrives at a useful time for the 49ers, giving them a chance to reset physically and sort through a loss that exposed just how thin the margin can be when the core pieces are not fully at ease. [Read more 🡒]
49ers May Be Running Out Of Time With Eddy Pineiro
Eddy Pineiros season has become a problem the 49ers can no longer keep brushing aside. During the game against the Falcons, the veteran kicker missed his seventh kick of the year, another jolt to a phase of the game that San Francisco expected to be stable when it brought him in.
The 49ers have enough moving parts elsewhere without having to wonder about every field goal and extra point, and the possibility of a change is starting to feel more realistic by the week. If they do decide to move on, the free-agent market offers a few familiar names to monitor, with Graham Gano, Matt Prater and Riley Patterson among the kickers who could come into the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Halloween Party Turns Viral Scandal Into A Locker Room Debate
A recent Halloween gathering around the 49ers turned into more than a costume party when the teams festivities brushed up against one of the years stranger viral stories. Daejon Love, whose arrest and federal case made headlines after authorities said he ran fake investment schemes that targeted more than two dozen women, has become a familiar name far beyond the financial-crime beat, and the topic was apparently impossible to avoid once the 49ers started putting together their looks.
At least two San Francisco players leaned into the reference, with one showing up in a jersey and another in a jail outfit, turning a serious off-field case into the kind of locker-room debate that can follow a team long after the music stops. It was a reminder that viral stories have a way of bleeding into NFL culture quickly, especially when the subject already comes with enough controversy to make a Halloween costume feel like commentary. [Read more 🡒]