The 49ers start their 2022 OTAs this week, which means it’s time to dive into what should be the more intriguing position battles on the roster.
The San Francisco 49ers begin organized team activities this week.
While OTAs wholly lack the physical intensity and realness of training camp and the preseason, given that this first phase of activities involves zero contact and no pads, it does provide a pretty good glimpse of how the team is coming together.
We’ll see how the Niners’ 2022 rookie class is coming along as it squares up against the more experienced NFL-level competition, which players on the roster bubble are rising or falling, and how the depth chart might look when head coach Kyle Shanahan prepares his squad for training camp later this summer.
The major portions of trying to improve the team are complete, meaning 90 players are competing for 53 spots on the regular-season roster, while a few are hoping to at least make the practice squad or impress other teams for a second chance.
Needless to say, San Francisco will have some awfully intriguing position battles to watch over these upcoming nine practices, including these five that’ll draw the most attention.
Position battle No. 5: 49ers defensive line
The 49ers likely have their starting four players set for their defensive line, arguably the deepest and strongest unit on the roster.
EDGE Nick Bosa will likely be joined in tandem with defensive tackles Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw, while the Niners would ideally like their top pick from the 2022 NFL Draft, EDGE Drake Jackson, to serve as an every-down player and not just a situational pass-rusher.
If Jackson needs more time to develop, it’d be better news for reserve edge rushers like Jordan Willis and Samson Ebukam, who both enter offseason workouts on the roster bubble but have equally as good a chance of surviving cuts.
Things still get interesting down the depth chart, though, as San Francisco will have to figure out the pecking order among veterans such as Kemoko Turay, Charles Omenihu, Kerry Hyder, Hassan Ridgeway and Kevin Givens, while other rookies like Kalia Davis and Kevin Atkins could work themselves into the mix, too.
Simply put, the 49ers are going to have to cut some players who’d likely start on lesser D-lines around the league, but that’s usually a pretty good indicator this position is in good shape, depth-wise.
Position battle No. 4: 49ers running back
Under normal circumstances, running back wouldn’t be a high-profile position to watch for the Niners during OTAs, yet head coach Kyle Shanahan is going to put an emphasis on this spot regardless.
Particularly after San Francisco used a third-round pick to grab LSU running back Tyrion Davis-Price in this year’s NFL Draft.
Davis-Price likely won’t challenge second-year pro Elijah Mitchell for the team’s leading rusher, although Shanahan’s offenses have frequently alternated leading rushers on a year-to-year basis since 2017. That’s something to consider.
Instead, the depth and pecking order behind Mitchell will be something to watch.
The 49ers’ new third-round pick could threaten their Round 3 selection from a year ago, running back Trey Sermon, who didn’t exactly wow with 167 rush yards and frequently found himself a healthy scratch late in the year.
Sermon is surely threatened to wind up towards the very bottom of the depth chart, but it’s third-year pro JaMycal Hasty who stands to lose the most. He could be pushed off the 53-man roster altogether because of Davis-Price, especially if undrafted rookie Jordan Mason shows promise.
Shanahan has historically let his rushers define their own roles, so that’ll be the case here at OTAs, too.
Position battle No. 3: 49ers cornerback
The Niners’ cornerback room was a glaring weakness to close out 2021. It’s now a position of strength, at least in terms of overall depth.
Like the defensive line, San Francisco probably has its starters figured out with Charvarius Ward and Jason Verrett manning the boundary, while Emmanuel Moseley bumps inside to nickel cornerback to help alleviate the free-agent loss of K’Waun Williams earlier this offseason.
Three spots out of a likely six for the 53-man roster, and we haven’t even included some of the other veteran returnees who’ll be battling it out for placement, including Dontae Johnson, Darqueze Dennard, Ambry Thomas and Deommodore Lenoir.
Oh, and there are rookies, too.
The 49ers spent a fifth-round draft pick on Toledo nickel corner Samuel Womack, and while he might not challenge Moseley right away, he’ll be in the discussion. Round 6 pickup, Tariq Castro-Fields, might be on the weaker side of the bubble right now, but a strong showing during OTAs might push him up the depth chart a little bit.
No matter how one looks at it, there are likely to be some notably shocking cuts at this particular position in a few months.
Position battle No. 2: 49ers strong safety
Unlike cornerback, the Niners don’t have a clear-cut answer at strong safety in the wake of letting their former long-time starter, Jaquiski Tartt, hit the free-agent market.
Tartt remains unsigned, but all indications point to San Francisco not bringing him back.
That leaves a modest amount of options at the position to play alongside veteran free safety Jimmie Ward. And while each one of those options has a positive rationale behind it, there are just as many concerns, too.
One of the presumed favorites, defensive back Tarvarius Moore, is coming off a torn Achilles suffered during the offseason a year ago. He might be fully recovered, but is he ready for full-time starting duties after being a role player in each of his years at the pro level leading up to his injury?
The 49ers could also explore deploying one of their other veteran safeties, Talanoa Hufanga or George Odum, as a starter. But Hufanga’s coverage skills during his rookie 2021 season weren’t particularly great, while Odum also is more of a special teams ace over his four previous years in the NFL.
Heck, perhaps undrafted free-agent safety Leon O’Neal Jr. out of Texas A&M makes a splash.
Unlike the bulk of positions on this list so far, the starting strong safety spot on the roster is wide open for grabs.
Position battle No. 1: 49ers offensive line, namely left guard
A year ago in the offseason, the Niners’ offensive line depth wasn’t good, and it showed in a bad way. And while San Francisco hopefully deploys four of its five starters from last year, the lone exception being now-New York Jets left guard Laken Tomlinson, depth is still a massive question mark.
As far as left guard, the 49ers can hope second-year pro Aaron Banks fills the void after being mostly an afterthought his rookie season and seeing a mere five regular-season offensive snaps.
That’s the plan, but it’s certainly not a guarantee. The Niners spent two draft picks on linemen, UTSA’s Spencer Burford and Fordham’s Nick Zakelj, and both might be able to challenge Banks for a starting job if the latter falters in the contact-less OTAs. It’s possible one of San Francisco’s two interior UDFA linemen, Jason Poe or Dohnovan West, push for a long-shot starting bid here, too.
All four of those rookies are going to be competing for depth either way, though, especially against returning veterans such as Justin Skule, Jake Brendel, Colton McKivitz and Jaylon Moore, among others.
If there’s one thing San Francisco wants to avoid, it’ll be entering the regular season with awfully shaky depth behind the first-team unit.
OTAs hopefully solve some of those question marks.