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San Francisco 49ers: An Early Look at Locks for the 2016 Roster

By Bryan Knowles

Dec 20, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) celebrates after the 49ers recovered an onside kick during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the San Francisco 49ers 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) celebrates after the 49ers recovered an onside kick during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the San Francisco 49ers 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aaron Lynch looks like a key player in the pass rush for years to come. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Lynch looks like a key player in the pass rush for years to come. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

Solid 2015 Seasons

Ideally, your entire 53-man roster would be a lock simply from having players in the upper class of their position around the league.  Forget about contracts and draft picks and other considerations; if you’re a good football player, you deserve to be on the roster.

We’re excluding people from this list who appeared on previous lists, like Staley and Bowman, as well as players who aren’t under contract for next season, like Ian Williams or Anquan Boldin.  These are simply the players who could be cut, financially, but won’t, because they’re really good at football.

  • LB Aaron Lynch
  • OG Andrew Tiller
  • RB Carlos Hyde
  • CB Tramaine Brock
  • DL Quinton Dial
  • DL Tank Carradine
  • CB Dontae Johnson

The list isn’t as long as some might hope.  The only real steal at any position is Aaron Lynch, who looks to be a pass-rushing guru for years to come, and is currently under contract through the 2017 season.  He’ll be the lynchpin for the pass rush for years to come, assuming he keeps playing as he’s been playing.

No one else lives up to Lynch’s reputation, but solid play elsewhere should ensure roster spots for a number of other notable players.  Before he got hurt, Carlos Hyde was running the ball quite well, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.  He’ll have to catch the ball more in Kelly’s system, but he should be a staple on the offense next year.  The offensive line improved notably when Andrew Tiller came in for Jordan Devey; Tiller hasn’t locked up a starting spot in 2016, but his performance should be more than enough to keep him on the 53-man roster.  Tramaine Brock was the top cornerback on the team in 2015—he really would be best suited as a number-two cornerback, but that’s more than enough to earn himself a spot on the roster.

The last three are more subjective, and I could easily see rationa

l minds disagreeing with them.  Dial just squeaked on to my list—there were some moments where he seemed to get gassed, and there are some points on coaches film where you see him getting blasted off the point of attack.  However, I feel he had more ups than downs, showing an ability to blow through run-blockers and hold the point of attack.  I wouldn’t even consider having him miss the 2016 roster.

Carrdaine and Johnson had trouble seeing the field at points in 2015, but considering the overall questionable decision making of the 49ers’ coaching staff, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.  When they did get time on the field, both stood out to me.  Both are also young enough that I think they’ll continue to trend positive going forward.

Next: Off Years in 2015, On the Team in 2016?