49ers roster: 5 players who’ll be cut by 2021 season’s end

No. 1: 49ers Cornerback Dontae Johnson

As sure as night is dark and the day is light, veteran cornerback Dontae Johnson will make his seemingly monthly pilgrimage off the Niners’ 53-man roster and then back onto it.

Johnson is cornerback No. 6 right now on the depth chart, and his chances of hanging around just improved with the waiving of Dre Kirkpatrick, although one might assume San Francisco’s approach during the second half will focus more on giving its two rookie corners, Ambry Thomas and Deommodore Lenoir, a bit more playing time. Especially if the playoffs wind up being out of reach before too long.

Having six cornerbacks isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and Johnson’s experience on both the boundary and over the slot makes him a valued commodity, even if he’s not a high-profile player.

But if the 49ers need to make another back-end-of-the-roster move, even if it’s at another position, Johnson is likely to wind up being that 53rd player on a 53-man roster.

Not a good spot to be in as far as job security.

That said, even if Johnson is let go, there’s an awfully good chance he’ll wind up being back in some capacity sooner rather than later.

Or later, too. It’s been all the same in his case.