49ers roster: Who's on the bubble, who isn't after 2 weeks of training camp

There have been a few changes since Niner Noise's last 49ers bubble watch for 2023.
San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Brock Purdy (L), Trey Lance (C) and head coach Kyle Shanahan (R)
San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Brock Purdy (L), Trey Lance (C) and head coach Kyle Shanahan (R) / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 10
Next
San Francisco 49ers, Javon Kinlaw
San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (99) / Michael Zagaris/GettyImages

49ers roster bubble watch: Defensive line

Lock: Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Drake Jackson, Javon Kinlaw
Strong bubble: Robert Beal Jr.*, Austin Bryant, Clelin Ferrell, Kevin Givens, Kerry Hyder
Weak bubble: Alex Barrett, Taco Charlton, Marlon Davidson, Kalia Davis
Long shot: Spencer Waege*, T.Y. McGill

All-Pro edge Nick Bosa continues to hold out amid his wait for a lucrative contract extension, but the hard truth is he doesn't exactly need a training camp or preseason to be highly impactful anyway.

If anything, his absence has opened up the door for San Francisco's other depth edge rushers to get more field time, including a few castoffs like Clelin Ferrell, Austin Bryant and the recently signed Taco Charlton.

Charlton might be a victim of the numbers game even though initial reports from camp have him impressing well enough. But if he outshines either Bryant or Ferrell, then the depth chart could see some notable changes.

The 49ers' interior on the defensive line remains a bit of a question mark, although it has been exceptionally positive to see glowing reviews of Javon Kinlaw, who appears plenty motivated after back-to-back seasons riddled with injuries that combined to limit him to just 10 games over that stretch.

Kinlaw is no longer a starter, but he can still carve out a key role as a rotational backup.