Niner Noise
FanSided

49ers roster bubble-watch breakdown after 2019 minicamp

By Peter Panacy

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 25: San Francisco 49ers guard Adam Snyder warms up during a San Francisco 49ers training session at Allianz Park on October 25, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 25: San Francisco 49ers guard Adam Snyder warms up during a San Francisco 49ers training session at Allianz Park on October 25, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 13: Jordan Matthews #80 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates his first quarter touchdown reception against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 13: Jordan Matthews #80 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates his first quarter touchdown reception against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

Wide Receiver

Lock: Marquise Goodwin, Jalen Hurd, Dante Pettis, Deebo Samuel, Trent Taylor

Strong Bubble: Kendrick Bourne, Richie James Jr., Jordan Matthews

Weak Bubble: Max McCaffrey

Long Shot: Malik Henry, Shawn Poindexter

Like the offensive and defensive lines, the locks for wide receiver are pretty much set. Sure, there’s an argument the speedster, Marquise Goodwin, is in danger of losing a roster spot after a down year in 2018. But that wouldn’t make sense, given the contract numbers.

Meanwhile, slot receiver Trent Taylor looks to have reestablished his rapport with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo during mandatory minicamp, and the 2017 rookie also appears to be fully healthy after a back injury plagued his 2018 campaign.

That pushes second-year pro Richie James onto the bubble, although James offers some upside on special teams.

Both Jordan Matthews and Kendrick Bourne figure to be fighting for one roster spot, and both have made some notable impact during OTAs and minicamp. Matthews, however, seems to be on insiders’ practice reports a little more frequently, though, and for all the right reasons. Those won’t make Matthews a lock, per se, but he’s arguably safer than Bourne right now.