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5 Players the San Francisco 49ers May Cut in 2016

By Peter Panacy

May 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks (55) during organized team activities at the SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
May 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks (55) during organized team activities at the SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 1, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) watches play on the sidelines during the second half against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams won 27-6. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 1, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) watches play on the sidelines during the second half against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams won 27-6. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

The San Francisco 49ers are in need of more talent, better talent to turn the franchise around after a forgettable 2015 season. But a number of players currently on roster may be in danger of cuts before Week 1 of the 2016 season takes place.

2016 will be yet another transitional year from the San Francisco 49ers’ glory seasons of not long ago to a new age of Niner football under the tutelage of head coach Chip Kelly.

San Francisco’s roster, partially filled with talent, needs some significant grades this offseason coming off a 5-11 finish and last-place stand in the NFC West in 2015. Much of this will be handled in free agency and the upcoming NFL draft.

But general manager Trent Baalke and the 49ers may need to “trim the fat” this offseason to open up more spaces for an influx of better players.

Roster cuts are an inherent part of any NFL franchise. Some players get their walking papers due to financial reasons. Others maybe never lived up to expectations, which forced teams to part ways with them in order to give another player a better chance at providing a better impact.

The latter scenario seems more applicable to San Francisco at this point.

Cap space won’t be an issue for the 49ers in 2016. The Niners currently boast the third-most cap space in the league with a projected $53,554,714 in space against the $150 million salary cap, per Over the Cap.

Presumably, a lot of this will be used to shore up some of the 49ers’ offseason needs. Others will be addressed in the draft.

But to clear the way for up-and-coming talent, San Francisco will be forced to make some very tough decisions.

Here are five of them.

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