A week into 49ers training camp, the roster is already starting to sort itself out - and a few spots are looking a lot clearer than others.
The biggest early shift came at receiver. San Francisco lost Ricky Pearsall for the season, and Christian Kirk is hurt, but the depth chart hasn’t been blown up. Deebo Samuel is now set to take on the No. 2 role Pearsall had, while rookie De’Zhaun Stribling has been turning heads enough to make Kirk’s absence feel less important.
That leaves a real question at the back end of the receiver group. Kirk may not even make the team, and the competition underneath the top names is crowded with young talent and one veteran.
The 49ers have Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, and Junior Bergen all in the mix, along with Demarcus Robinson. How that group shakes out could decide the bottom of the depth chart.
Up front, Connor Colby appears to have grabbed hold of the starting left guard job. Part of that comes down to familiarity: he’s the only returning player on offense.
Robert Jones is a free agent, while Carver Willis is a rookie adjusting to a new position. Both could need time before they’re ready for meaningful work, which opens the door for Colby to keep running with the spot if no one catches him soon.
There’s also reason to watch the defensive line closely. On paper, it should be much stronger, but the group still has to get on the field together.
Mykel Williams is expected back soon, Alfred Collins has just gotten healthy, and the only major missing name from the top 10 linemen would be Gracen Halton. The question now is simple: can they stay healthy long enough to see what this unit looks like at full strength?
The secondary is another area where camp is bringing out competition. At safety, Marques Sigle has worked in with the first team, giving that spot a new look.
Cornerback has been more settled, with the top three starters holding steady so far. That helps Renardo Green, though Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs could still push for more opportunities as camp goes on.
And then there’s Deebo Samuel, who just changed the return game conversation. John Lynch said he expects Samuel to have a legitimate returner role, and that adds a new wrinkle to the competition.
Samuel has returned kicks before, but not punts. So now the questions pile up: does he take the kick return job without much of a fight, and does he also get a shot at punts, or does the focus stay squarely on kicks?
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