49ers roster: 5 players on thin ice entering training camp

The 49ers may not have time to be patient with these five players when training camp breaks out in only a matter of days.

The San Francisco 49ers begin their 2022 version of training camp in just one week, which means all the excitement of seeing the team come together once more will return again.

It also means no shortage of roster speculation, risers, fallers and depth-chart analysis between the opening practices and the ultimate formation of the 53-man roster ahead of Week 1.

A good thing about the Niners boasting a playoff-caliber roster is that there are awfully few open spots up for grabs, and in some cases, there’ll actually be starting-caliber players let go when head coach Kyle Shanahan draws up the initial regular-season roster.

In some cases, it might be a numbers game. In others, Shanahan and Co. simply can’t wait any longer for players to assume bigger roles.

To ensure they are spared a spot on the 53-man roster, these five San Francisco players have to proverbially “get off the thin” ice right away when camp opens on July 26.

49ers thin-ice player No. 5: EDGE Jordan Willis

Reserve pass-rusher Jordan Willis seemingly has found a niche with the 49ers since coming aboard midseason back in 2020, earning 5.5 sacks in 17 regular-season games with the Niners, plus one memorable special teams play in the NFC divisional round in the playoffs, in contrast to his three sacks over 43 games prior to joining San Francisco.

That said, a six-game suspension for PED violations a year ago didn’t do him any service, and the 49ers stockpiling the edge rush by adding Drake Jackson in Round 2 of this year’s NFL Draft only serves to push a player like Willis down the depth chart.

Now vying for playing time alongside other veterans like Charles Omenihu and Kerry Hyder, the 27-year-old Willis is looking at zero in guaranteed money, according to Over the Cap, and he might not have enough thump to avoid what could be an inevitable roster cut anyway.

For Willis to avoid the ax, he’ll have to vastly outperform a good number of the Niners’ other backup pass-rushers in camp right out of the gate.