49ers roster: 53-man bubble watch with 2022 minicamp in the books
By Peter Panacy
49ers bubble watch: Defensive line
Lock: Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, Drake Jackson*, Javon Kinlaw, Hassan Ridgeway, Kemoko Turay
Strong bubble: Samson Ebukam, Kevin Givens, Maurice Hurst, Kerry Hyder Jr., Charles Omenihu, Jordan Willis
Weak bubble: Kevin Atkins*, Alex Barrett, Kalia Davis*
Long shot: Dee Ford
There are going to be some good names the Niners will be forced to cut from their defensive line this season.
Developing rookie EDGE Drake Jackson to play opposite Nick Bosa will be a priority, as San Francisco is poised to jettison oft-injured pass-rusher Dee Ford in the near future. But Jackson is likely going to be a situational pass-rusher early in his career, which spells a better chance for Samson Ebukam to avoid the ax after registering 4.5 sacks a year ago.
Likewise, over $1 million each in guaranteed money for two free-agent pickups, Hassan Ridgeway and Kemoko Turay, essentially lock them in, while the 49ers can’t wait to get Javon Kinlaw back from a season-ending knee injury suffered a year ago.
All these players push the remaining crop of depth D-linemen down the list, though, and this might matter when factoring in whether or not players like Jordan Willis, Charles Omenihu, Maurice Hurst and Kevin Givens make the cut.
Givens and Hurst may have legs up over deeper players like Alex Barrett and the undrafted rookie, Kevin Atkins, though, while an ACL tear suffered last season probably means sixth-round rookie Kalia Davis starts off his pro tenure on the non-football injury list.
Either way, expect the Niners to part ways with some players who’ll likely be swiped up quickly by other teams.