The 49ers still boast an elite defense, yet there are some returning veterans who may not make the cut when the Week 1 roster for 2020 is announced.
The San Francisco 49ers don’t have too many holes on their roster, particularly on the defensive side where only Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner needed to be replaced after he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts earlier this offseason.
South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was the hand-picked replacement, taken No. 14 overall by the Niners in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Kinlaw is poised to be a starter, and his 10 other starting-caliber defenders are all essentially shoo-ins for their respective roles this season. Only a handful of spots are truly up for grabs, as far as starters go.
But the depth situation gets a little trickier and a number of returning veterans could ultimately find themselves off the 53-man roster by the time Week 1 rolls around.
Here are four defenders who find themselves on the roster bubble entering training camp.
No. 4: 49ers Safety Marcell Harris
Late in 2018, it looked as if then-rookie Marcell Harris would be a candidate to potentially replace starting strong safety Jaquiski Tartt. Last year, however, Harris showed some serious liability in pass coverage, particularly in Week 14 when he was filling in for Tartt against the New Orleans Saints and gave up two early touchdowns.
Harris has been a good run defender, which worked better when the 49ers were playing more single-high Cover 3 defenses with the strong safety down close to the line of scrimmage. In 2019, though, San Francisco’s safeties were much more interchangeable.
As a result, Harris’ pass coverage took a hit, as his Pro Football Focus 59.3 pass-coverage grade suggested.
The Niners brought aboard an undrafted potential replacement, Alabama’s Jared Mayden, who could easily be viewed as the team’s best UDFA signing in 2020.
Mayden could easily challenge Harris for the No. 2 strong safety role behind Tartt, giving the 49ers an upgrade in pass defense while not losing too much against the run.
No. 3: 49ers Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair
Last year out of training camp, then-rookie linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was a nice feel-good story heading into Week 1.
Al-Shaair, an undrafted free agent, was something of a surprise addition to San Francisco’s 53-man roster. And while the Niners already had a deep linebacking corps, including Fred Warner and recently signed Kwon Alexander, Al-Shaair’s role as a backup wasn’t going to be overlooked.
Midseason injuries, notably to Alexander, opened up the door for Al-Shaair to see some defensive action, including four starts.
It wasn’t necessarily pretty.
Al-Shaair managed to record 18 tackles while picking up seven assists, but he was also credited with seven missed tackles and was pegged with a lowly 49.3 pass-coverage grade, per Pro Football Focus.
During the offseason, the Niners inked former Arizona Cardinals veteran linebacker Joe Walker to provide depth behind the starters, as well as potentially assume Al-Shaair’s role on special teams.
As a result, the second-year pro could find himself off the 53-man roster by the time Week 1 rolls around.
No. 2: 49ers Defensive Tackle Kentavius Street
In case you forgot, the 49ers used a fourth-round pick on former NC State defensive tackle Kentavius Street during the 2018 NFL Draft.
The move was a shock, considering Street was coming off a torn ACL suffered in a pre-draft workout not long before he was selected by San Francisco, and one should have hoped the franchise ended the previous practice of selecting players coming off such injuries.
Street was redshirted his rookie year, understandably. But he had a scant impact his sophomore year, playing in just three games and registering four tackles, including one for a loss. That marked his pro-level impact before Street was again placed on season-ending injured reserve with knee issues.
Granted, the Niners depth along their defensive line is still questionable, particularly with fellow linemen Ronald Blair and Jullian Taylor also hoping to return from torn ACLs last year. But Street being unable to participate much is putting him into one of those injury-bust categories.
If Street doesn’t emerge as a legitimate backup option during training camp, he’ll be off the roster by Week 1 without question.
No. 1: 49ers Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon
Unlike Kentavius Street, Marcell Harris and Azeez Al-Shaair, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon seemed on track to be a regular starter for San Francisco for the long run. Certainly during Witherspoon’s rookie year after being selected in Round 3 of the 2017 NFL Draft.
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But that was before Witherspoon suffered a serious regression in year two. Early in 2019, Witherspoon appeared to regain his form before suffering an elongated foot sprain, which opened up the door for fellow cornerback Emmanuel Moseley to assume a more prominent role.
Witherspoon subsequently lost his starting job twice more during the season, once in Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks and then again in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Vikings.
Entering training camp, signs point to Moseley being the one to start at cornerback, while Witherspoon is at best looking to compete for first-team reps. The other option would be as a primary backup, while there’s a chance he winds up being on the bubble altogether.
Granted, San Francisco doesn’t have a ton of experienced cornerback depth behind Moseley and Richard Sherman. But if another player like Dontae Johnson or the rookie, DeMarkus Acy, outshines Witherspoon in camp, the fourth-year pro could find himself a part of roster cuts.
Especially considering Witherspoon would cost only $243,393 in dead money against over $2.13 million in cap savings.