Predicting the 49ers roster before Sunday's cutdown to 53: Who stays, who plays, who's out?
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The San Francisco 49ers have 53 jobs to give to 90 guys, or 91 if you account for the international pathway exception. These few days following their last preseason game and when final rosters are due on Sunday can get pretty complicated, but in a nutshell the 49ers can put two players on IR (injured reserve) and keep the two players they already have on PUP (physically unable to perform) without using any of the 53 active roster spots on Sunday, if they are OK with having those injured players miss the required minimum of four games.
A lot more can happen the next day when they fill out their practice squad, either with some of their own waived and released players, or others on the waiver wire and the open market.
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One thing at a time.
Here is an initial 49ers roster projection. Just keep in mind, as head coach Kyle Shanahan likes to remind his players, "the final 53 … is the final 53 that day."
Quarterback (3)
In:Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, Kurtis Rourke
Out:Adrian Martinez
Analysis:The question of a third quarterback was valid before Rourke went 12 of 14 for 101 yards in his only preseason game. He fractured a few ribs in the process, according to Shanahan, who suggested the 2025 seventh-round draft pick would be ready to return to practice as soon as next week. Rourke has undergone workouts on a side field during recent sessions. The trio of Purdy, Jones and Rourke should secure the position for the season.
Running back/fullback (4)
In:Christian McCaffrey, Kaelon Black, Jordan James, Kyle Juszczyk
Out:Sincere McCormick, Khalil Herbert
PUP:Isaac Guerendo (pec)
Analysis:Three backs seem to be enough this year, beyond Juszczyk. Deebo Samuel will take some carries, too, and Shanahan does not plan on using a three-man backfield anyway. The third, likely James, is there for depth and special teams. Guerendo may get cut eventually but the team has no need to explore that possibility right now because he is already on the active/physically unable to perform list. The can is easily kickable by moving him to the reserve version of PUP for now. McCormick and Herbert had their preseason moments. It would not be a surprise to see either of them get picked up elsewhere, or stay on as part of the practice squad.
Wide receiver (6)
In:Mike Evans, De'Zhaun Stribling, Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins
Out:Malik Turner, Wesley Grimes, KhaDarel Hodge, Trenton Irwin, Will Pauling
IR:Christian Kirk (calf)
Analysis:Five ought to be written in at first glance. Evans is a future Hall of Famer, though he is getting up there in age at 33, and has dealt with nagging and quad and groin issues in camp. His health will be worth monitoring over the course of a 17-game season. Same goes for Kirk, whom the 49ers can let sit on IR for four games and figure what to do in the meantime. Stribling has looked the part in the preseason, although Shanahan could always be counted on to knock him down a peg. Samuel and Robinson are veterans who still have something left in the tank, if camp was any indication. Cowing has looked OK as a receiver in practices, certainly fast, but the 83-yard punt return touchdown emerged as the kind of event that would buy him some time. Watkins played a lot this preseason; his tape was decidedly mixed. But he is, at the end of the day, a fourth-round draft pick getting his bearings after an injury-riddled rookie season.
Tight end (3)
In:George Kittle, Jake Tonges, Luke Farrell
Out:Brayden Willis, Hayden Rucci, Khalil Dinkins
Analysis:This one isn't complicated. Kittle, Tonges and Farrell are the three tight ends suiting up on game days if they're healthy. One of Willis or Rucci could be insurance depth on the practice squad in case Kittle needs another week or two in his Achilles recovery beyond the Australia opener. Willis has been with the team for three seasons and counting as a serviceable option and he's most familiar with the Shanahan offense among the predicted cuts at his position.
Offensive line (10)
In:LT Trent Williams, LG Carver Willis, C Jake Brendel, RG Dominick Puni, RT Colton McKivitz, OG Robert Jones, OG Connor Colby, OT Enrique Cruz Jr., IOL Brett Toth, OL Austen Pleasants
Out:Isaac Alarcon, Doug Kramer Jr., Drake Nugent, Brandon Parker, Nick Zakelj
IR:OT Vederian Lowe
Analysis:Willis played tackle his entire college career and could very well start at left guard for the 49ers as a rookie. Jones and Colby have competed with him. Even swing tackle Austen Pleasants was given a look there during practices and a preseason game. Perhaps the presence of four returning starters could help insulate another season of uncertainty at left guard after three different players made starts there last season. Toth has missed most of camp in the concussion protocol but is probably the best backup center on the roster when healthy, and even average centers are difficult to come by nowadays. Shanahan said Pleasants, currently nursing a knee injury, is expected back by Week 1. Cruz is an interesting one. He has proven as raw as advertised. The idea was to get him ready in two years for when Williams potentially calls it a career. The projected IR placement of Lowe makes keeping Cruz on the 53, as opposed to rolling the dice and trying to sneak him onto the practice squad, easier to stomach.
Defensive line (9)
In:DE Nick Bosa, DT Osa Odighizuwa, DT Alfred Collins, DE Sam Okuayinonu, DT CJ West, DE Romello Height, DT Gracen Halton, DE/DT Keion White, DT James Thomspon Jr.
Out:DT Sebastian Valdez, DE Ogbo Okoronkwo, DT Bryson Eason, DE Quinton Bell, DE Jah Joyner, DT Viliam Fehoko Jr., DT Evan Anderson
PUP:DE/DT Mykel Williams
Analysis:The biggest questions here concern health. Where is Bosa? He has not practiced or been observed on the side field for weeks due to tendinitis, a setback Shanahan characterized as "normal" for those recovering from major ACL injuries. He suggested Bosa would be back at practice next week in what may provide a better benchmark for how close the former he is to a Week 1 return. Williams has consistently worked out on the side field, but his timetable was always considered behind that of Bosa, because his ACL injury (which included a lateral meniscus tear as well) happened in Week 9 while Bosa was sidelined from Week 3 on. Thompson versus Valdez looks like a toss-up; Thompson, an undrafted rookie out of Illinois and Wisconsin, has outplayed his low profile, much like Valdez did last year. The 49ers would probably like to keep them both, perhaps with one on the active roster and the other on the practice squad.
Linebacker (5)
In:
Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Luke Gifford, Jaden Dugger, Garret Wallow
Out:Nick Martin, Tatum Bethune, Jalen Graham, Larry Worth III, Deion Jones
Analysis:Linebacker promises require some of the most difficult decisions this weekend, outside of starters Warner and Greenlaw. Gifford just made a Pro Bowl (on special teams) last year. Dugger was just drafted in the fifth round. The 49ers have never cut a fifth-round pick or higher after one training camp under Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. Then you get to the logjam: Wallow, Bethune, Martin. Wallow saved the day, particularly with his 2025 wild-card performance on short notice, and has only built on that first impression. Bethune was next up when Warner got hurt last season, but ended up playing 51 defensive snaps and eight on special teams in the preseason finale Thursday, while Wallow received an evidently well-deserved night off. "He was having some back spasms during the week, and he's had a hell of a camp so far," Shanahan said. "I didn't want to push him too much with what he's been going through." Martin truly is a heat-seeking missile on special teams, but is he one of the top five linebackers on this team? Maybe a sixth spot, freed up elsewhere on the roster, would roll his way. But the 49ers need a MIKE backup, either Wallow or Bethune, and Martin has repped at WILL and SAM.
Cornerback (6)
In:Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout, Nate Hobbs, Jack Jones, Ephesians Prysock
Out:Jakob Robinson, Darrell Luter Jr., Eli Apple
Analysis:Of the six here, the selection that appears most iffy is Hobbs, who has barely practiced this camp and sports an already long injury history. He was supposed to offer nickel depth behind Stout, and perhaps he can still do that, but Robinson is a younger option who showed some flashes after his rookie camp (and season altogether) was derailed by a broken forearm. Recent side workouts seemed promising for Hobbs. There is a good chance, if he is the pick, the 49ers try to stash Robinson on their practice squad. Luter had his opportunities over three seasons with the organization. The signing of Jones and drafting of Prysock this past offseason put him squarely on the bubble. Luter doesn't play nickel so whose spot could he take?
Safety (4)
In:Ji'Ayir Brown, Marques Sigle, Malik Mustapha, Siran Neal
Out:Ashtyn Davis, Patrick McMorris, Jalen Stroman
Analysis:The 49ers did not do anything to upgrade this position, and Brown, Sigle, Mustapha and Neal are all returnees, while Davis, McMorris and Stroman were not threats to displace them. It is OK to feel Lynch should have done more. The safeties had a very up-and-down 2025 season. Early in training camp, Brown started while Sigle and Mustapha rotated, seemingly in competition. But then Mustapha strained his hamstring and has been sidelined since. Neal is the special teams veteran rounding out this group.
Special teams (3)
In:
K Eddy Piñeiro, P Corliss Waitman, LS Jon Weeks
Analysis:Piñeiro is a stud and just signed an extension. Weeks has reliably been around for a while. There was supposed to be a punter competition, but demands at other positions dealing with injuries squeezed out rookie Jack Bouwmeester before the first preseason game. Waitman subsequently left an impression. Keep an eye out for "trick shots" off of his left foot.
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There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Predicting the 49ers roster before Sunday's cutdown to 53: Who stays, who plays, who's out?.