SF 49ers: Top surprises from initial 53-man roster release

All offseason, we’ve heard about the gauntlet that the AFC West will be. That’s understandable, but here’s something that you need to know if you haven’t figured it out already. The San Francisco 49ers aren’t going to have a cakewalk in the National Football Conference’s western division either.

Sure, the Seattle Seahawks have some work to do (and they won’t get any sympathy from us), but there are those games versus the Arizona Cardinals and the defending-champion Los Angeles Rams to think about. Free agency, the NFL Draft, OTAs, minicamps, training camp, and three preseason games have led us to our current state of affairs. The next game, a road date versus the Chicago Bears on September 11th, counts.

Here are a few surprises on the 49ers roster that we’re still talking about.

The Niners, if they can put it all together, are capable of a deep playoff run. Their lifeblood is a talented 53-man roster, one that saw its introduction this past Tuesday. By now, everyone knows who’s on the squad. Here are three decisions they made that sparked a few discussions.

Jimmy Garoppolo’s fate decided

There will be no trade that sends Jimmy Garoppolo packing, for now. The Niners decided to keep three signal-callers on the roster. One of which is Jimmy G, who’s led San Fran to a 35-16 record in 51 career games as a starter (that includes a 4-2 win-loss total in the postseason).

Garoppolo’s sixth season with the team will be played on a one-year restructured deal after his offseason was spent hearing his name mentioned as a possible trade piece and recovering from shoulder surgery.

No longer irrelevant

The final man taken in the most recent NFL Draft has catapulted himself past Nate Sudfeld and onto the roster. His dreams of NFL stardom are alive and well as his quest toward true relevancy continues.

This just in… The 49ers are loaded on defense

Okay, so maybe this isn’t something that truly falls under the umbrella of surprises, but who can pass on an opportunity to discuss the 49ers’ defense?

Kemoko Turay can play, but after tallying registering 5.5 sacks as a member of the Indianapolis Colts last season, he wasn’t able to land a spot on what may prove to be the NFL’s deepest defensive line. The second level and secondary aren’t too shabby either.

This offseason, the 49ers signed Oren Burks to replace Marcell Harris, and that appears to be a wise decision. He’s been an upgrade at linebacker and on special teams. At cornerback, five players were kept, including two that can play both inside and outside (Samuel Womack and Deommodore Lenoir).

Opposing offensive coordinators aren’t going to sleep very well on the nights before their games versus San Francisco. They’ll most certainly keep this team in every game if there are any lapses on the offensive side of the ball.