49ers roster 2022: Kyle Shanahan likely cuts these 5 players in first wave

The 49ers have to start trimming down to the 53 man roster on Tuesday by cutting five players, and these Niners appear to be in the biggest jeopardy.

The NFL experimented with an en-masse roster cut-down day not long ago where teams drastically went from their 90-man offseason rosters down to 53 players after the preseason ended and just before the regular season began.

Now back to a tiered system, squads like the San Francisco 49ers have to begin the process of cutting players after just one preseason game, and the deadline to do so for this first wave is Tuesday, Aug. 16 at 4 p.m. ET.

The Niners pulled off a win over the Green Bay Packers in their first exhibition game of the season, which generated some notable standouts and also helped improve roster chances for a number of players on the bubble.

Despite this, head coach Kyle Shanahan still has to part ways with five players before San Francisco takes on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2 of the preseason.

Opening cut-down waves can either involve players who have no chance of making a 53-man roster, or they can sometimes involve veterans who have a great shot at signing elsewhere, thereby giving them a “jump” on free agency.

Either way, these five 49ers players appear to be in the biggest danger.

49ers first-cut candidate No. 5: Wide receiver Tay Martin

The Niners have a notable logjam at wide receiver behind the obvious top trio of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings, further compounded by the fact the final two on what’ll likely be a five-man depth chart, Ray-Ray McCloud and rookie Danny Gray, each scored touchdowns in the exhibition win over Green Bay.

There are plenty of fringe wideouts on San Francisco’s offseason roster, including undrafted rookie Tay Martin, who hasn’t exactly made much of a name for himself during training camp and was limited to a mere three offensive snaps versus the Packers.

While the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Martin offers some enticing traits that might be worth developing, it seems pretty clear Shanahan doesn’t view him as someone worth fielding even in a preseason bout.