Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Full Depth Chart & Roster Predictions for 2016 Season

By Peter Panacy

Jan 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back DuJuan Harris (32) carries the ball against the St. Louis Rams in the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back DuJuan Harris (32) carries the ball against the St. Louis Rams in the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 22, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey (90) is carted off the field after getting injured during the first quarter in a game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey (90) is carted off the field after getting injured during the first quarter in a game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

Stashing Injured Players

NFL teams aren’t required to post official injury reports until the actual start of the regular season, so training camp and preseason injuries can be fairly difficult to accumulate.

We do know a few injuries as of right now though. David Fucillo of Niners Nation put together a pretty thorough list of Niners injuries at the tail end of minicamp, so let’s go off that.

Nose tackle Ian Williams is dealing with an ankle issue, which required offseason procedures and also forced the 49ers to rework his current contract to a one-year deal. His status for the opening of the regular season remains unclear.

Fellow defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey is still recovering from an ACL tear suffered last season, although Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News (h/t Fucillo) stated Dorsey could be cleared for the start of training camp.

Cornerback Dontae Johnson was dealing with a quad injury, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, but appears to be OK for the start of training camp.

January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers nose tackle Ian Williams (93) runs after the loose football during the first quarter against the St. Louis Rams at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Rams 19-16. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers nose tackle Ian Williams (93) runs after the loose football during the first quarter against the St. Louis Rams at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Rams 19-16. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

And then there’s wide receiver DeAndre Smelter, who was redshirted last year coming off a collegiate ACL injury of his own. Smelter is suffering from a hamstring issue, according to Eric Branch of SFGate.com, but appears to be good to go for training camp.

Nonetheless, his development and lack of practice time could set him back significantly.

There’s also cornerback Will Redmond — another player coming off an ACL injury at the college level. Yet he’s another player likely to find his way into camp, according to general manager Trent Baalke (h/t Fucillo).

Out of this group, Williams and Dorsey may be the most interesting to watch. It’s possible, if neither player is ready to go in Week 1, either one winds up on the injured-reserve list with a designation to return. But that would cut out a sizable portion of San Francisco’s defensive line depth.

A guess would suggest Dorsey is the more likely of the two candidates to land on IR to start the season.

Should Redmond not be fully healthy, the 49ers may entertain placing him on the non-football injury (NFI) list to start the year.

None of these transactions would count against San Francisco’s 53-man roster.

Next: Special Teams