San Francisco 49ers: Analyzing the 53 man roster for 2022

The 53-man roster has been locked in for the San Francisco 49ers

The big day came and went, and the roster has been confirmed for the San Francisco 49ers as they get ready for Week 1.

Roster day always throws a few surprises our way, and the 49ers certainly didn’t disappoint with its decision to keep quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on the roster.

Some players also really flew under the radar and then popped up during the preseason, with undrafted rookie Jordan Mason the biggest example as he managed to get onto the roster.

Without any delay, here’s the first group of positions with the offensive players:

49ers roster: offense

Quarterbacks (3): Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo, Brock Purdy

The 49ers freed up a lot of cap space and got arguably the best backup quarterback in the NFL with Garoppolo agreeing to stay for 2022 and backup Trey Lance, with Nate Sudfeld released as a consequence.

Brock Purdy had a promising preseason and the team clearly had their doubts Purdy would get past waivers and onto the practice squad, so he’s on the roster as a developmental quarterback and will be the presumptive backup if Garoppolo ends up waiving his no-trade clause at some point.

Running Backs (6): Elijah Mitchell, Ty Davis-Price, Trey Sermon, Jeff Wilson, Jordan Mason, Kyle Juszczyk (fullback)

The real question here is did Trey Sermon deserve to be on the roster after a lackluster preseason? JaMycal Hasty was cut despite running a lot better in the preseason games, but the 49ers probably didn’t want to give up on a third-rounder so quickly.

Mitchell, Davis-Price and Juszczyk were locks as well, while the team decided to keep an extra running back on the roster instead of deciding between Jeff Wilson and preseason standout Jordan Mason.

Six running backs (if you count Juszczyk, which you should) is normally more than a team would keep on, but that’s fine for the 49ers who love to run the football.

Wide Receivers (5): Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McCloud, Danny Gray

The 49ers elected to keep an extra running back which meant one less wide receiver for the 49ers, and the five selected won’t raise any eyebrows here.

Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk form a potent tandem, while there’s a bit of a question mark over whether or not Jauan Jennings or Ray-Ray McCloud will be the third receiver after the latter enjoyed a strong preseason.

Rookie Danny Gray rounds out the quintet as the resident deep threat for a team that’ll be trying to stretch defenses more often in 2022.

Tight Ends (3): George Kittle, Ross Dwelley, Charlie Woerner

No surprises here as the 49ers use the same three tight ends as last season. George Kittle headlines this group, with Ross Dwelley his backup and Charlie Woerner rounding it out as the third tight end.

Note: Tyler Kroft did not make the initial roster, but is expected as of writing to be signed to it once Curtis Robinson and Jimmie Ward are moved to injured reserve.

Offensive Line (9): Trent Williams, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford, Mike McGlinchey, Jaylon Moore, Colton McKivitz, Nick Zakelj, Daniel Brunskill

Trent Williams, Mike McGlinchey, Jaylon Moore and Colton McKivitz will round out the tackles for the 49ers with Williams and McGlinchey starting. McKivitz will be the swing tackle while Jaylon Moore was a surprise over Jordan Mills.

Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford will be the presumed starters at guard with Nick Zakelj and Daniel Brunskill as backups, with the latter also backing up Jake Brendel at centre.