The San Francisco 49ers have several notable question marks at various positions across their roster, and one could make the argument that safety is the biggest on the defensive side of the ball.
Unfortunately for him, Patrick McMorris is all but guaranteed not to be part of the solution.
Signed by the Niners in late April at the conclusion of the NFL Draft, the 24-year-old McMorris sniffed regular-season action back with the Miami Dolphins in 2024 when he appeared in six games after Miami selected him in Round 6 out of Cal. Since then, though, the 6-foot, 206-pound defensive back has bounced around the league a bit as a practice squad body.
And that might be his only realistic shot at hanging around with San Francisco into the regular season.
Patrick McMorris is the definition of a 49ers longshot to make 53-man roster
About the only "lock" the 49ers have at safety entering 2026 is third-year pro Malik Mustapha, although Ji'Ayir Brown and Marques Sigle are pretty safe bets.
There are several other fringe options, including another fairly recent signee, Ashtyn Davis, who has far more upside than someone like McMorris. And combing through his 2024 pre-draft scouting report, it's clear the defensive back might be vulnerable in one particular area that'd surely run the risk of failing to make the cut: missed tackles.
There are other concerns, too, including a lack of range and substandard burst. Yet the missed tackles would be something that might automatically disqualify McMorris from consideration for a roster spot.
Granted, perhaps defensive coordinator Raheem Morris singled out the safety as an under-the-radar pickup, potentially to serve as a practice squad body this season with some possible upside.
For now, though, the likelihood is McMorris sees late-game field time in the preseason and little else before finding his way back onto the free-agent list ahead of Week 1.
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