49ers depth chart: 5 players who won’t be on the roster in Week 1

No. 1: 49ers Safety Marcell Harris

Late in 2018, then-rookie safety Marcell Harris flashed enough open-field tackling prowess to suggest he could potentially emerge as a long-term replacement for the Niners’ starter, Jaquiski Tartt.

But when Tartt missed four games with a ribs injury the following year, Harris’ issues in pass coverage were revealed, and he did little to suggest improvement in this area in 2020, finishing the season with a paltry 36.6 pass-coverage grade from Pro Football Focus.

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Harris’ struggles prompted a number of actions on San Francisco’s part, the first being a free-agent deal for veteran safety Tavon Wilson, who while primarily being a special teams ace for much of his career, has a much better track record defending against the pass. Additionally, the 49ers brought Tartt back on a one-year deal, then drafted former USC safety Talanoa Hufanga in Round 5, pegging him to be a special teams contributor early on with the long-term prospects of potentially taking over for Tartt in 2022.

Now buried deep down the depth chart and also a free agent next offseason, Harris easily looks like the odd man out amid a deep group of safeties who’ll be vying for reserve roles behind Tartt and Jimmie Ward.

The Niners can save nearly $1 million in cap savings against $350,000 in dead money, should they choose to move on from Harris before Week 1, and the number of better pass-coverage options at the position suggests Harris won’t be hanging around much longer anyway.