49ers roster bubble watch on the eve of training camp 2023

The 49ers begin training camp this week, so Niner Noise goes through the 90-man roster to determine who's safe and who's on the bubble.

At the conclusion of mandatory minicamp, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that he didn't view those offseason workouts as any sort of means of real competition.

No, according to Shanahan, the real competition begins in training camp.

As it is, the Niners begin training camp this week in preparation for the upcoming 2023 campaign.

Niner Noise has already looked at the current installment of San Francisco's 90-man roster in an attempt to see who's on the bubble and who isn't. Yet there have been some changes since the last time we've done so, and updated contexts certainly help matters, too.

In case you're new to this exercise, we break down our bubble categories into the following four:

• Lock: Pretty self-explanatory (barring injuries)
• Strong bubble: Not quite a lock but looking pretty good
• Weak bubble: Better hope you exceed all expectations while others struggle
• Long shot: Fat chance, bud (but thank you anyway)

Got it? Good. Let's take a look at each of the 49ers' position grounds and see who's safe as a lock, who's on the bubble and who's way outside and looking in.

Note: All contractual information, courtesy of Over the Cap. Asterisks (*) denote a rookie

49ers special teams roster bubble

Lock: Jake Moody*, Mitch Wishnowsky, Taybor Pepper
Strong bubble: none
Weak bubble: Zane Gonzalez
Long shot: none

The Niners traded for former Carolina Panthers kicker Zane Gonzalez earlier this offseason after electing to let their longtime kicker, Robbie Gould, walk in NFL free agency.

Yet Gonzalez's future with San Francisco was all but determined when the 49ers used a third-round draft pick on Michigan kicker Jake Moody.

The only way Moody fails to win the job is if he suffers some sort of injury during training camp or the preseason, allowing Gonzalez a chance to come in and claim the role.

Mitch Wishnowsky and Taybor Pepper have no competition against them.