49ers training camp: 3 players who must impress to avoid being cut
By Robert Smith
With 49ers’ training camp set to kick off soon, Niner Noise selects three veteran players who may be in danger of missing the final cut if they don’t impress.
Oh, how times have changed for the San Francisco 49ers.
Just a few short seasons ago, the team was dearth of talent and had just finished a horrendous 2-14 season. It prompted the firing of not only then-head coach Chip Kelly, but general manager Trent Baalke as well. CEO Jed York then brought in head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch to oversee the massive reconstruction of this once-proud franchise, hoping the two first-timers at their respective positions could do so in relatively short order.
Fast forward to 2020, with the Niners fresh off a Super Bowl appearance, boasting one of the more stacked rosters in the league, and looking primed for another deep playoff run.
The transformation has been impressive,
The initial plan by Shanahan and Lynch of simply finding NFL-caliber players to fill roster spots has now become one of refining a Super Bowl-contending roster with quality depth across the board.
But in the salary cap era, that brings with it a new set of challenges. The challenge of retaining as many of your foundational players as possible, remaining fiscally responsible, and accomplishing all that while not compromising the team’s talent level. It is a delicate balance that NFL front offices struggle with annually.
The 49ers are no different. The team is favored by most pundits to make another deep playoff run in 2020. But with that success has come the inevitability of salary cap restraints.
As the talent of your roster grows, those decisions become increasingly difficult to make.
The difference in talent between two players may be of the slimmest margins, with their versatility and cap cost becoming the deciding factors in which one secures a spot on the final roster.
With that said, we look at three veteran players who must impress this training camp or risk being cut.