The San Francisco 49ers finished the first block of training camp practices, and the team has its eyes set on the preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium on Aug. 13.
But here at Niner Noise, we're already thinking beyond that game, and the other two preseason matchups (road games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders), right down to the cut down to the initial 53-man roster.
In many ways, this one writes itself, as there are plenty of places across the roster where there aren't really questions about who will make the squad. But in other areas, camp battles will decide who ends up filling a position.
So let's dive into the roster projection after the first week of training camp, which features a few names you might not have been expecting.
49ers Offense
Quarterbacks (2)
QB1 Brock Purdy
QB2 Mac Jones
Easy enough to get this started.
Purdy enters his fourth year as the full-time starter after a truncated season last year due to injury. He'll hope to get back to the guy he was in 2023, when he was a Pro Bowler and finished fourth in MVP voting.
As for Jones, he's here for at least another year, at which point he's likely to take what he's learned from Kyle Shanahan and seek out a starting job, something he proved he's capable of last season when Purdy was out.
Running Backs (5)
HB Christian McCaffrey
HB Kaelon Black
HB Jordan James
HB Khalil Herbert
FB Kyle Juszczyk
No surprises here at the top, with the trio of McCaffrey, Black, and James, along with fullback Kyle Juszczyk, feeling as locked in as they can be, injuries notwithstanding, as both Black and James are currently nursing ailments.
The last spot could be any number of players, including Patrick Taylor and Sincere McCormick, but the recently inked Herbert, who proved himself quite useful with the Bears as a secondary back a few years ago, gets the nod here.
Wide Receivers (6)
WR Mike Evans
WR/KR Deebo Samuel
WR De'Zhaun Stribling
WR Christian Kirk
WR Demarcus Robinson
WR/PR Jacob Cowing
With the unfortunate news that Ricky Pearsall will miss the entire season after surgery on his PCL, the re-addition of Deebo Samuel served as a nice cushion for the blow, even if it is a one-year band-aid over the larger issue.
Most of the group around Deebo is not terribly shocking, with Evans, Stribling, and Kirk all but set in ink for the initial 53-man roster
Where it gets interesting is the final two spots.
Cowing is the standout punt returner, and that alone, like with Skky Moore last year, allows him to stick around despite missing all of last season due to injury and a career tally of just four catches for 80 yards during his rookie campaign.
The final spot comes down to Robinson and Jordan Watkins, and as of now, it looks like the veteran is a camp standout so far, so he gets the bump, even if the 49ers probably would prefer the second-year receiver out of Ole Miss to step up and take the job.
Tight Ends (3)
TE Jake Tonges
TE Luke Farrell
TE Brayden Wills
Reserve/PUP: TE George Kittle
As commendable as George Kittle's attempts to return for Week 1 are, this feels like a situation where the 49ers need to have a more long-term outlook on the season. He's going to push to make it happen, but the team needs to shelve him for the first month and make sure he's fully healthy.
That leaves a less-than-favorable group at tight end to start the season, although Tonges was pretty useful as a pass catcher during Kittle's absence last season, hauling in 34 receptions for 293 yards and five touchdowns.
Farrell hasn't been as strong of a blocking specialist as the Niners might have hoped, but he'll do, and Willis is good on special teams. The hope is the rest of the offense is good enough to hold down the fort until Kittle returns.
Offensive Lineman (8)
LT Trent Williams
LG Connor Colby
C Jake Brendel
RG Dominic Puni
RT Colton McKivitz
OT Brandon Parker
OL Brent Toth
OL Robert Jones
The starting unit is set, outside of maybe left guard, which appears to be Connor Colby's job to lose early in training camp. He started off well during his rookie season, but then fell of the cliff a bit, so he'll look for more consistency.
The backup group is harder, but we're going with the veteran combination for now, with guys like rookies Carver Willis and Enrique Cruz, along with Drake Nugent, Austen Pleasants, and Nick Zakelj missing out.
The big miss is Vederian Lowe, who has missed all of camp with an ankle injury so far, missing his opportunity to fight with Parker for the swing tackle role.
Offense total: 24
49ers Defense
Defensive Lineman (10)
EDGE Nick Bosa
DT Alfred Collins
DT Osa Odighizuwa
EDGE Romello Height
DT CJ West
DE Sam Okuayinonu
DT Sebastian Valdez
DE Keion White
DT Kevin Givens
EDGE Cameron Sample
Reserve/PUP: DE Mykel Williams
This group feels strong at the top, especially if Bosa is back to his former self, the guy he looked to be early in the season when he essentially won the 49ers' first two games of the 2025 season.
Adding Odighizuwa to the interior feels like a massive upgrade, especially if Collins continues to play like he did toward the end of his rookie season.
The major surprise here is Valdez, who has been getting a lot of run with the starters early in camp, and could be a guy who earns a roster spot based on harder work.
Missing Williams to start the season will be tough, and it still feels like this unit needs another pass-rusher on the edge, but it's a pretty good group.
Linebackers (6)
MLB Fred Warner
WLB Dre Greenlaw
SLB Nick Martin
LB Tatum Bethune
LB Jaden Duggar
LB Luke Gifford
Once again, no shock at the top, with Greenlaw and Warner both returning (one from the Broncos, the other from injury) to be the one-two punch at linebacker for San Francisco.
Martin has thus far been given the chance to earn the SAM spot in base downs by new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, and appears to be running with it. That leaves Bethune, who ascended last season with Warner out, to be a useful backup at all three spots.
Duggar, by all accounts, might be Morris' Swiss Army knife, as early reports say they've seen the rookie lining up in several positions on the defense.
Gifford is a special teams ace back on a new deal, so he feels like an obvious sixth guy, who you hope never sees the field as a linebacker.
Secondary (10)
CB Deommodore Lenoir
CB Renardo Green
S Ji'Ayir Brown
S Malik Mustapha
SCB Upton Stout
CB Jack Jones
CB Ephesians Prysock
SCB Nate Hobbs
S Marques Sigle
S Siran Neal
This feels pretty cut-and-dry as well, especially given the competition between Renardo Green and Jack Jones, which appears to be bringing out the best in Green so far in camp.
The 49ers have legitimate starters and backups at all three corner positions with this group, although including Prysock might be a bit of a surprise here. His physical traits may keep him on the roster, with the Niners hoping to lean on Jones and Hobbs as depth while the rookie helps on special teams.
The safety question continues to be a big one, with Brown showing out again, apparently refreshed under his new coordinator. The fight, then, appears to be between Sigle and Mustapha for his running mate, although veteran Ashtyn Davis can't be counted out here.
Neal returns as a special teams ace.
Specialists (3)
K Eddy Piñeiro
P Jack Bouwmeester
LS Jon Weeks
There is actually some intrigue in this group, as the 49ers currently have two punters on the 90-man roster in Bouwmeester, the 27-year-old Australian rookie out of Texas, and Corliss Waitman, the veteran who has played for Denver and Pittsburgh over four seasons in the league.
The nod in this case is going to go to the rookie because of that Australian kicking style the 49ers have been seeking for a while (think of how long they kept Mitch Wishnowsky), but this could go either way.
The kicker and long snapper, both returning from last year, are set to go again this season.
Defense/Special Teams total: 29
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