Niner Noise
FanSided

49ers roster bubble watch in the wake of preseason win vs. Packers

By Peter Panacy

Trey Lance #5 of the San Francisco 49ers hands the ball off to Trey Sermon #28 (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Trey Lance #5 of the San Francisco 49ers hands the ball off to Trey Sermon #28 (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Tyler Goodson, Tarvarius Moore, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers safety Tarvarius Moore (33) defends against Green Bay Packers running back Tyler Goodson (39) Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

49ers roster bubble after beating Packers: Safety

Lock: Talanoa Hufanga, George Odum, Jimmie Ward

Strong bubble: Tarvarius Moore

Weak bubble: Tayler Hawkins*

Long shot: none

*denotes rookie

The Niners waived/injured undrafted rookie safety Leon O’Neal Jr. because of a groin injury, then fully parted ways with him with an injury settlement, which opens up the door for fellow undrafted free-agent defensive back Tayler Hawkins to have a slightly better shot at hanging around.

It’s still slim, but one might figure Hawkins would be the first player called upon if someone like Tarvarius Moore flounders between now and Week 1.

Moore, who missed all of 2021 because of an Achilles tear, gave up a long touchdown to Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs in the first quarter and didn’t look good in coverage, yet San Francisco is still likely eyeing Moore as a big-nickel defensive back in three-safety sets.

That might be necessary if second-year pro Talanoa Hufanga is deployed as more of an in-the-box safety this season.

Veteran George Odum, who completely whiffed on one tackle against Green Bay, nevertheless stays a lock because of his special teams prowess where he had a first-team All-Pro nod back in 2020.