49ers training camp: 3 players who must impress to avoid being cut

4 of 4

Wide Receivers/Passing Game Specialist Mike LaFleur and Dante Pettis #18 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) /

No. 1: 49ers Wide Receiver Dante Pettis

I don’t think this is a surprise to anyone. Wide receiver Dante Pettis has been in coach Shanahan’s doghouse for a while now. And the head coach makes no bones about telling you exactly why he has landed there, as Matt Barrows of The Athletic shared:

"Dante has the ability,” Shanahan said, “but we’re waiting for him to pick it up and have the consistency and take advantage of some of these opportunities he’s gotten.”"

He expects more from Pettis, as he should.

More from Niner Noise

After making Pettis a second-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, Shanahan must have had very high hopes for what Pettis could become in this offense. However, Pettis, while showing some glimpses of elite route running and natural ability, has never really put it all together. The sad part is, it seems as though it is just a matter of effort. The effort is something that should be a given for NFL players, but lacking it sometimes is the one thing that undoes careers.

Fortunately for Pettis, he will most assuredly be given one last chance to turn it around after offseason injuries to Deebo Samuel and Richie James. They both will likely be out through most or all of training camp.

There have been whispers of the team looking to trade him should before the start of the season, but nothing has materialized yet on that front. And of course, money plays a part in this as well. The team would have $1.4 million in dead salary cap if they were to cut him outright.

And while that hit wouldn’t be great for a team already nudging up against the salary cap, John Lynch and Shanahan may make the choice to take the hit if it means a player that outplays Pettis could contribute more once the regular season begins.

Next. Early 49ers 53-man roster predictions, training camp edition. dark

Aa training camp gets set to open up, keep an eye on the position battles that include these players, as the competition should be intense. The opportunity is there for each of them to prove they deserve to be on the final 53-man roster.

Now let’s see if they take advantage of it.