With training camp around the corner, the 49ers’ roster picture is starting to come into focus, and a few names are already sitting squarely on the edge. The early projection leaves room for some familiar pieces, but it also shows how tight the margins are going to be as San Francisco sorts out its final 53.
At quarterback, Kurtis Rourke looks like a practice squad candidate unless he turns enough heads in the preseason to make waivers impossible. That’s the kind of climb he’s facing right now.
Running back is another spot where the numbers are crowded. Isaac Guerendo is the odd man out in this projection, though his special teams value gives him a path back onto the roster. Brayden Willis is also back in the bubble conversation after the 49ers waived Khalil Dinkins with an injury designation, leaving the room mostly as it was before.
At receiver, Demarcus Robinson is one of the tougher players to place. He enters camp firmly on the bubble, with no easy answer for where he fits.
Up front, the tackle spot creates its own squeeze. Cruz appears too intriguing physically to be pushed off the roster and onto the practice squad, which leaves Austen Pleasants as the player left out.
The defensive line picture is still unsettled, and the real battle looks to be among White, Okuayinonu and Cam Sample. Sample was signed this offseason, but the other two bring more experience to the table, which keeps that competition wide open. Behind them, Sebastian Valdez, Evan Anderson, Bryson Eason and James Thompson give the 49ers plenty of depth on the interior, and one of those younger players could force his way onto the team.
That youth movement may come at the expense of veteran Garrett Wallow, whose roster case looks shaky in this group.
In the secondary, Siran Neal has a strong special teams résumé, but he’s also fighting an uphill battle. Six cornerbacks are already ahead of him on the depth chart, and the 49ers may need those roster spots elsewhere. That creates a real chance that Neal could make it over free agent signing Ashtyn Davis.
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San Francisco still seems to believe there is something to build on with Green, which is why this is not simply a lost cause situation. But with new competition arriving and the secondary under a brighter spotlight, he is no longer just trying to hold a job. He is trying to prove the team was right to keep investing in his development instead of moving on. [Read more 🡒]