Sam Okuayinonu is suddenly lining up as a real candidate to open the season as a starter for the San Francisco 49ers.
Entering his third year with the team, Okuayinonu is also heading toward free agency, which puts this season in a different light. There’s a chance he ends up playing the most snaps of his career, and the way the depth chart is shaking out, Week 1 starts to look like a legitimate possibility.
The path there is pretty straightforward: the two players most likely to challenge him are banged up. Mykel Williams is expected to start opposite Nick Bosa on run downs, but he is on the PUP while working back from an ACL injury.
The 49ers are likely to want him back through a ramp-up period first, with time to practice and take hits before he’s thrown right back into NFL action. That makes a six-game absence the most likely outcome, and a return around Week 6 fits the timing of the injury.
Keion White is the other name in the mix, but he has missed the past couple of weeks with an adductor injury. Right now, it’s hard to see him jumping Okuayinonu straight out of injury and into a starting job. White and Okuayinonu were probably headed for a competition or a rotation anyway, and if White is ready for Week 1, the more realistic role looks like rotational snaps.
Romello Height should also make the roster, though the rookie is projected to be more of a pass-rush specialist. He showed in his NFL debut that there’s still work to do in that area, and for now he looks like another rotational piece for Week 1.
Beyond that, the room is mostly made up of players trying to survive the numbers game because the 49ers simply don’t have much depth there. Okuayinonu was held out with the rest of the starters in the preseason opener, and he’s expected to get work with them in Week 2 of the preseason. All signs point the same way: the player who was forced into 12 starts last year because of injuries could be starting again in Week 1 for the same reason this season.
In Other News...
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It also has quietly changed the conversation around Mac Jones, whose contract situation is now part of the backdrop as the preseason unfolds. The 49ers are still juggling routine camp decisions, including Christian McCaffrey being held out of some work as a precaution and bringing back defensive tackle Evan Anderson for depth, but the most interesting question may be whether the quarterback picture is stable enough to last beyond the summer. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Wide Receiver Battle Just Claimed An Unexpected Draft Pick
The 49ers wide receiver competition took an early turn before their first preseason game, with Junior Bergen waived after a camp that had highlighted his return ability. Bergen had been viewed as a long shot to crack San Franciscos roster, and the teams depth at receiver made every fringe spot difficult to hold onto as roster decisions started to come due.
Bergen did not stay on the wire long. The Jets claimed him and made room by moving on from an undrafted free agent, a quick reminder that even players on the edge of the 49ers roster can still draw interest elsewhere. For San Francisco, it is another small but notable cut in a crowded position battle that could keep shifting as preseason unfolds. [Read more 🡒]