San Francisco 49ers: 10 Starters Who Might Not Make the 53-Man Roster in 2016
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers are in the middle of a rebuilding phase with an emphasis on youth and up-and-coming players. Such a focus could mean a number of veteran starters slip on the depth chart or are even shown the door. Niner Noise looks at 10 starters who may not make the 53-man roster in 2016.
2016 is yet another year of transition for the San Francisco 49ers, and the franchise has shifted from a focus on veteran prowess to one of up-and-coming potential.
Gone are the days when the Niners were capable of reaching NFC Championship games at relative ease. Only two defensive starters from San Francisco’s most-recent Super Bowl team — linebackers NaVorro Bowman and Ahmad Brooks — remain in their same roles.
Such is the nature of the NFL. Older, more expensive players are phased out. Younger players are brought in, and the hope is for the latter group to meet, or exceed, expectations set previously.
But this means other players have to go. And while the Niners’ roster is very young — an average of 23 years old, according to Fox Sports — a number of starters and former starters could see their respective tenures with San Francisco come to an end.
Granted, a lot of transactions (or lack thereof) would have happened already. So guys like wide receiver Anquan Boldin and guard Alex Boone are no longer with the 49ers.
Other players create a different context. Especially those currently under contract.
Let’s focus on those. In this slideshow, we’ll look at 10 49ers starters, or former starters, who may not make it past the final wave of roster cuts before Week 1 of the regular season.
Some of the rationale behind the “why” may be a bit out of the box. But there are enough reasons to suggest the possibility exists of each player being somewhere else when 2016 officially kicks off.
And we’ll begin with the oldest member of the 49ers roster.
Next: K Phil Dawson