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The San Francisco 49ers on Thursday will begin their second week of preseason practices. All of these sessions will be in pads and will likely see the first real separation in the battle for starting jobs and roster spots.
Before the team begins its next trio of training camp work, we put together a 53-man roster projection based on the early training camp returns. Most of the practices have been without pads, but there’s still been enough information to get an idea of what the roster could ultimately look like.
Here is our first guess at what San Francisco’s initial 53-man roster will be:
Quarterback (2)
Notes: We may see Tanner Mordecai stick around as a third QB. For now our guess is two QBs on the 53-man roster, Mordecai to the practice squad and up on game days as an emergency QB, and rookie seventh-round pick Kurtis Rourke sticking on IR for the season while he rehabs his surgically repaired ACL.
Running back (4)
- Christian McCaffrey
- Isaac Guerendo
- Jordan James
- Patrick Taylor Jr.
Notes: Undrafted rookie Corey Kiner could still work his way onto the roster. Special teams contributions may be the determining factor in which player scoops up the fourth roster spot.
Fullback (1)
Notes: Ever heard of him?
Wide receiver (6)
- Ricky Pearsall
- Jauan Jennings
- Demarcus Robinson
- Jacob Cowing
- Jordan Watkins
- Russell Gage
Notes: It’s hard to envision Brandon Aiyuk coming off the PUP list any time soon. Keeping him there and giving him at least four weeks into the regular season before he’s eligible to come back makes a ton of sense. Gage has put together a nice camp and found his way onto our 53-man to help offset some of the youth and inexperience elsewhere in the receiving corps.
Tight end (4)
- George Kittle
- Luke Farrell
- Ross Dwelley
- Brayden Willis
Notes: There’s not a ton of certainty once we get past Kittle and Farrell. Dwelley gets the nod thanks to his experience. Don’t sleep on Jake Tonges, though. He was with the club last year and flashed some pass-catching chops in the preseason. Blocking is always going to be the top priority for TEs under head coach Kyle Shanahan, but upside as a receiver could separate a tight race for the final TE roster spot(s).
Offensive line (9)
- Trent Williams
- Nick Zakelj
- Jake Brendel
- Dominick Puni
- Colton McKivitz
- Ben Bartch
- Spencer Burford
- Austen Pleasants
- Matt Hennessy
Notes: Reserve OL spots are wide open. Hennessy is probably their best backup center option. Bartch is firmly in the mix to snag the starting left guard job if/when he returns from a quad injury that landed him on the PUP list to start camp. Pleasants gives San Francisco a swing tackle, while Burford can play everywhere on the OL except center.
Defensive line (10)
- Nick Bosa
- Mykel Williams
- Bryce Huff
- Sam Okuayinonu
- Yetur Gross-Matos
- Alfred Collins
- CJ West
- Evan Anderson
- Jordan Elliott
- Kevin Givens
Notes: There’s still some stuff to figure out a defensive end with room for a recent addition like Jaylon Allen or a practice squad player from last year like Jonathan Garvin to make their way into the fold. The same goes for defensive tackle where Kalia Davis could still stake his claim to a roster spot.
Linebacker (5)
- Fred Warner
- Dee Winters
- Nick Martin
- Luke Gifford
- Tatum Bethune
Notes: It isn’t out of the question that the 49ers keep an extra linebacker and trim the roster elsewhere (perhaps on the D-line or tight end). For now this group is a good mix of special teams contributors with Winters stealing a starting Will LB spot alongside Warner. Curtis Robinson is also a name to keep an eye on. He’s still on PUP while he rehabs an ACL he tore last offseason.
Cornerback (5)
- Deommodore Lenoir
- Renardo Green
- Upton Stout
- Tre Brown
- Dallis Flowers
Notes: Six CBs is certainly a possibility, and the back of the depth chart is wide open. Lenoir and Green look locked into starting spots. Behind them everything is up in the air. Players like Darrell Luter Jr. and Siran Neal are potential additions for special teams purposes.
Safety (4)
- Ji’Ayir Brown
- Jason Pinnock
- Marques Sigle
- Richie Grant
Notes: Malik Mustapha is working his way back from a knee injury. We’ve got him starting the season on the PUP list. Without him there’s not a lot to work with at safety for San Francisco. Grant got the nod over second-year undrafted free agent Jaylen Mahoney, but Mahoney could certainly wind up snagging that final spot.
Specialists (3)
- LS Jon Weeks
- P Thomas Morstead
- K Jake Moody
Notes: All indications out of training camp are that Moody and veteran Greg Joseph are deadlocked in their kicker battle. Our assumption is that the team will lean Moody assuming all things remain equal.
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