The San Francisco 49ers just wrapped up their 2026 preseason campaign and now face the arduous task of whittling down their 90-man camp roster to the opening 53 players who'll prepare to take the field in Week 1.
One of the tougher exercises of predicting the opening 53-man roster is trying to figure out the many injuries the Niners are dealing with now—several could lead to opening up the year on an injured list, thereby not counting against the original 53 but also being forced to miss at least the first four weeks of the season.
Regardless, several of the roster selections in this prediction are fairly straightforward.
Let's predict it out and see how close we can get.
49ers' post-preseason 53-man roster prediction
Quarterback (2)
- Brock Purdy
- Mac Jones
Kurtis Rourke is nursing a ribs injury and seems to be an excellent candidate for the physically unable-to-perform (PUP) list to open up the year, ultimately missing the first four weeks but saving San Francisco a roster spot.
Fellow third-string candidate, Adrian Martinez, isn't worth saving a spot but might be a safe bet for the practice squad to hold the line in the interim.
Running back (4)
- Kyle Juszczyk
- Christian McCaffrey
- Kaelon Black
- Jordan James
Black and James are back from camp injuries, and the two looked solid enough to help justify the 49ers keeping just three halfbacks on the opening roster. If the Niners opt to keep Khalil Herbert, it might indicate they don't feel quite as good about McCaffrey's health as McCaffrey does.
Isaac Guerendo (pectoral) likely falls into the same category as Rourke and at least seems like a safe option to reinforce the group a quarter of the way into the year, if needed.
Wide receiver (6)
- Mike Evans
- Deebo Samuel
- De'Zhaun Stribling
- Demarcus Robinson
- Jacob Cowing
- Jordan Watkins
There are plenty of question marks at wide receiver, kickstarted by Evans and Samuel's health and age. At least Stribling has been a major positive and seems poised for a serious role in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense right away.
The rest of the depth chart is murky, at best, but Robinson's strong camp and playoff luck give him a nod, while Cowing and Watkins still seem to be battling it out for primary return duties. Although neither look the part, truly.
Expect the veteran, Christian Kirk (hamstring), to start off the year on the PUP list.
Tight end (4)
- George Kittle
- Jake Tonges
- Luke Farrell
- Brayden Willis
Saving one of the running back slots to add Willis gives the Niners insurance against Kittle coming back too soon from last January's Achilles tear.
Kittle might play in Week 1, but having a viable backup like Tonges is a must.
Offensive line (8)
- Trent Williams
- Robert Jones
- Jake Brendel
- Dominick Puni
- Colton McKivitz
- Brett Toth
- Carver Willis
- Connor Colby
It's hard to hold onto Colby here, especially after his tumble from being handed the starting left guard gig to kick off training camp. But that now seems to be Jones' job to lose. Only injuries and Willis' rawness save Colby a spot.
San Francisco won't have a true swing tackle until Vederian Lowe comes back from an ankle injury, which probably won't be until being removed from a would-be PUP designation.
Defensive line (9)
- Nick Bosa
- Osa Odighizuwa
- Alfred Collins
- Romello Height
- Gracen Halton
- Sam Okuayinonu
- Keon White
- C.J. West
- Ogbo Okoronkwo
If the 49ers make a pre-Week 1 trade, it wouldn't be shocking to see it for an edge rusher, especially with Bosa coming back from an ACL tear and second-year pro Mykel Williams likely starting on the PUP list after tearing his later last season.
The edge-rushing depth is thin, but at least there's a bit beefier an interior presence now with Odighizuwa and Halton in the mix.
Linebacker (6)
- Fred Warner
- Dre Greenlaw
- Jaden Dugger
- Tatum Bethune
- Luke Gifford
- Garrett Wallow
It's hard behind the trio of Warner, Greenlaw and Dugger. Gifford (hamstring) is hurt, but he's a quality special teams contributor, as is Wallow. And Bethune is worthy to back up either Warner or Greenlaw in a pinch. Coordinator Raheem Morris may opt to keep the Niners' recent trade pickup, Deion Jones, while putting Gifford on IR.
Nick Martin's hamstring injury might save his long-term tenure with San Francisco, although it likely costs him at least the first four weeks of the year.
Defensive back (11)
- Deommodore Lenoir
- Renardo Green
- Upton Stout
- Nate Hobbs
- Ephesians Prysock
- Jack Jones
- Ji'Ayir Brown
- Malik Mustapha
- Marques Sigle
- Siran Neal
- Ashtyn Davis
The secondary is tough to figure out, too, especially after Prysock was knocked out of Thursday night's game with a shoulder injury. If it's serious, he could be eligible for a PUP designation, perhaps opening up the door for a fringe player like Darrell Luter Jr. to hang around just a little while longer.
Safety concerns, including Mustapha's lingering hamstring injury, means keeping Davis is smarter than not, while Neal's versatility and special teams prowess earn him a nod with little question.
Special teams (3)
- Eddy Pineiro
- Corliss Waitman
- Jon Weeks
San Francisco rid itself of special teams drama by waiving undrafted rookie punter Jack Bouwmeester.
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