San Francisco 49ers: 10 Starters Who Might Not Make the 53-Man Roster in 2016

No. 8: Right Tackle Erik Pears

This one shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.

Tackle/guard Erik Pears’ current value is that of a swing tackle who also doubles as a guard. That’s fine, but for a player on the wrong side of 30 years old, Pears doesn’t project to be a long-term option anywhere.

And it doesn’t help his case that he finished 2015 with a minus-30.7 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked worst on the team.

Pears could still earn first-team reps during training camp and the preseason, although the Niners would ideally like to see a young player like Trenton Brown, John Theus or Fahn Cooper emerge as the No. 1 right tackle.

After that, Pears’ best hope to make the squad would be as a swing or option to move inside.

Those possibilities are reasons enough to suggest Pears sticks around for another season. Depth and flexibility are nice.

But, if he loses out on the camp battle, it’s perfectly reasonable to assume he’s off the roster in Week 1.

Next: TE Vance McDonald