The San Francisco 49ers (and 31 other teams) underwent one of the more painful exercises on the league calendar on Tuesday, Aug. 26, cutting their 90-man preseason roster down to 53 players.
Just like that, nearly half the squad fans saw over the last few weeks will be unemployed, and many of those will never grace an NFL field again.
Fortunately, at least for undrafted free-agent offensive lineman Drew Moss, he doesn't have to worry about being in that crop. At least for now.
According to NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco, Moss survived the final pre-deadline wave of roster cuts and will make the opening 53-man roster:
Undrafted rookie OL Drew Moss made the 49ers' initial 53-man roster, source says. Of course, the 49ers will continue to adjust their roster in the coming days and weeks, but it's a sign that Moss did a lot of good things in training camp.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) August 26, 2025
Indeed, as Maiocco alluded to, the former Colorado State prospect didn plenty of "good things" during camp and into the preseason, suggesting he can immediately become a backup in support of what's already turning into a questionable offensive line.
Speaking of those questions, they also raise concerns about Moss' long-term future. Sure, the door is open to immediate playing time, especially if second-year right guard Dominick Puni's knee injury prevents him from taking the field in Week 1 on Sept. 7. And left guard Ben Bartch has been nursing an elbow injury, too.
It's possible Moss is being carried simply to act as insurance against either one of those two veteran linemen being unavailable to open up the season.
And it's just as possible Moss' immediate future is still in jeopardy, should the Niners view him essentially as the 52nd or 53rd man on the 53-man roster, potentially swapping him out for one of the hundreds of recently cut players who just now became available.
It all depends on how San Francisco sees Moss and his fit on the roster.
If the 49ers are truly valuing the undrafted rookie and felt there'd be no way for him to clear waivers and land on the practice squad, then naming him to the 53-man roster was the right choice.
On the other hand, if Moss is merely a stopgap or placeholder, it's just as likely the Niners jettison him over the next few days if they find someone else to their liking.
At least the rookie cleared this first major hurdle, though.