49ers: 4 players whose roster value took a hit in win vs. Raiders

No. 2 49ers S Tavon Wilson

Safety Tavon Wilson didn’t do anything particularly wrong during his snaps against the Raiders, but there were a variety of factors that ended up working against him. The simplest is that he was simply there, not egregiously bad but not making a big play either.

Beyond that, the safety room had itself a major showing, one that threatens Wilson’s spot on the 49ers 53-man roster. Talanoa Hufanga continues to excel at safety, cementing his position on the roster and pushing other players down on the depth chart. With his emergence, every other safety’s roster position just got less secure.

When you compound that with the mostly successful return of Jaquiski Tartt from PUP, Wilson’s position continues to grow more tenuous. The 49ers typically do not give away starting spots because of injuries, and since Tartt has been an above-average starter at strong safety whenever healthy, something impossible would have to happen for him to not make the final 53. That leaves Wilson and Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, and while Wilson has the time experience against Dix, having been on the roster much longer, Dix and Wilson ended up playing around the same times, with Dix having the far more successful evening.

Dix finished with an interception and a couple of quality run stops, which punctuates a reportedly rapid ascent with the 49ers during training camp. Time will tell which safety the 49ers will choose to keep, but it’s abundantly clear that Wilson’s stronghold on the strong safety position has evaporated, leaving him now on the roster bubble.