On one hand, it's actually quite surprising the San Francisco 49ers stormed out to a 6-1 start despite a littany of injuries heading into a Week 8 bye.
That shows resiliency and strength of depth.
On the other, though, the Niners have plenty of players who've shown their purposes, and with several poised to return from injury, it's inevitable some roster moves will be made between now and Week 9's showdown against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Unfortunately, Week 7's loss to the Atlanta Falcons revealed several San Francisco players who may soon be on the way out, either due to lackluster performances or because of players coming back from injury. Perhaps both.
These five, in particular, could be looking at an imminent end to their 49ers tenure.
49ers may soon cut these 5 players during their bye
No. 1: Kicker Eddy Piñeiro
Cutting a kicker not long after he signed a four-year, $17 million extension seems senseless, but that's the reality when Eddy Piñeiro misses at least one kick per week, which has been the case.
A missed extra-point attempt against Atlanta played a role, prompting head coach Kyle Shanahan to be blunt about a postgame evaluation, possibly leading to the Niners absorbing a hefty dead-cap hit simply to be rid of the now-shaky specialist.
Piñeiro didn't exactly cost San Francisco its first loss of the season, but at the current rate, it's only a matter of time before he's directly responsible for another defeat.
If the 49ers opt to get out ahead of that, Piñeiro won't be rostered when Week 9 rolls around.
No. 2: Wide receiver Brandin Cooks
The Niners inked 33-year-old wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the practice squad in late September to account for the myriad of injuries to the position, yet Cooks has done awfully little to justify hanging around once other receivers return fully healthy.
Over four games, the NorCal native has three catches for 33 yards and a touchdown, and his false start late in the fourth quarter against the Falcons was anything but a good look.
Cooks was no more than a stopgap amid the injuries, but even he hasn't provided any substantial evidence of holding onto a roster spot once names like Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson and De'Zhaun Stribling make their way back.
No. 3: Cornerback Jack Jones
Nickel cornerback Upton Stout's shoulder injury has revealed a painful realization about fellow corner Jack Jones, whom San Francisco signed during the offseason and even saw impress during training camp.
Jones was a victim of Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels in Week 6, and the Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. regularly picked on Jones, too, in Week 7. Making things worse, Jones' defensive pass-interference call kept an Atlanta drive alive at a crucial moment in the second half.
The 49ers benched Jones late in the game in favor of rookie Ephesians Prysock, and that might be the correct approach going forward while also opening up a roster spot by letting go of the former.
No. 4: Safety Ashtyn Davis
Remember back when veteran safety Ashtyn Davis not making the opening 53-man roster was a bit of a shocker?
Perhaps fans understand the logic behind Davis being on the fringes.
Davis has twice now been called to relieve Jones of duties, and in both instances, the former has looked like a liability, allowing two catches on two targets for 32 yards when he's been targeted.
When injured safety Marques Sigle returns, the Niners may be better off letting Davis go and giving special teams ace Siran Neal the spot at the back end of the safety depth chart instead.
No. 5: Wide receiver Christian Kirk
Like Cooks, wide receiver Christian Kirk might simply be a victim of the numbers game, and his return to the fray after missing almost all of training camp, the preseason and the first six weeks of the year because of a hamstring injury wasn't exactly inspiring.
No targets on 20 offensive snaps. It's clear the time away didn't do any good, in terms of jelling with quarterback Brock Purdy.
San Francisco did just fine without Kirk in the lineup, and if he isn't going to deliver a net positive after returning, there'd be little reason for him to occupy a roster spot once the 49ers finally get healthy at wide receiver.
This signing simply didn't work out.
Add us as a preferred source on Google