San Francisco 49ers: 5 veterans on the bubble after 2019 NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Defensive Tackle Sheldon Day
The 49ers already had a stockpile of defensive linemen before the 2019 NFL Draft, and adding Nick Bosa only creates a stiffer competition for would-be snaps when the regular season rolls around.
Bosa’s addition would seemingly endanger the futures of either defensive tackles, Arik Armstead or Solomon Thomas, and both were reportedly dangled on the trade market in the hours counting down to the draft.
General manager John Lynch refuted these rumors, particularly those surrounding Thomas. But Bosa will cut into both Armstead and Thomas’ snaps, as NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco pointed out:
"Because the 49ers figure to use a rotation of defensive linemen to keep everyone fresh, nobody will get aced out altogether. But somebody is going to get a lot fewer snaps through the course of the season that what is expected from a recent first-round draft pick."
So, where does defensive tackle Sheldon Day fit into all of this?
Thomas likely benefits from a move inside, where the Niners are set with depth. Especially with fellow defensive tackles Jullian Taylor and Kentavius Street looking to gain a foothold.
Day, 24 years old, saw a good chunk of reserve snaps after joining the 49ers off the Jacksonville Jaguars’ waiver wire in 2017, then saw those snap counts decrease a bit last year.
He might be the odd man out, as the rest of the depth chart gets pushed back by Bosa.