4 darkhorse 49ers who deserve a roster spot (but might not get one)

Around the 53-man cutdown day can be a strange time to be a fan of an NFL team, as players who flash in the preseason vie for a spot on the roster for the opening game of the season.

Some players you've become attached to don't quite make it (Kory Sheets, anyone), while sometimes, the quarterback who looked like he might have something as a potential NFL player just about hangs on to his spot, and eventually becomes your franchise quarterback.

Yep, I'll never shut up about Brock Purdy.

All fans have some sort of preseason crush, whether it be the running back who had some big plays in the fourth quarter, or an unknown livening up an anemic pass rush, when the time for cutdown finally arrives, there's always going to be some players that you, as fans, wish the team could've kept.

In the San Francisco 49ers' case, that's perhaps more true than most with the team currently in the midst of a win-now window, more roster spots than ever are locked in to consistent, solid, veteran talents, leaving less room than usual for someone to spring a surprise and take a place on the active roster.

Let's take a look at four Niners who have impressed in the preseason and arguably deserve a roster spot.

But also why they might just get lost in the shuffle.

Alex Barrett, DE

Alex Barrett could well be described as the King of The Cockroaches at the defensive end spot, as despite the fact he's been part of a staggering number of transactions during his time with San Francisco, he continues to show up every year and compete.

Bouncing between practice squad, active roster, futures contract and beyond seemingly every single year, it's almost a surprise now when Barrett doesn't suit up in preseason for the 49ers.

What no one can fault him for is his effort. He's consistently given his all each time he's been given a chance to earn a spot with the team, in spite of not playing a regular season game since the injury-ravaged 2020 season.

The mood music might be changing on him, though, as he's had a solid preseason, setting the edge against the run particularly well. He's flashed some interesting work against the pass, too, recording a sack against the New Orleans Saints, as well as splitting a couple of quarterback hits and pressures over the two preseason games so far.

He also made a pretty nice splash play against the Saints, forcing and recovering a fumble that helped set up the offense with great field position:

In a defensive end room that's long on talent but short on depth, this might be Barrett's best chance to crack the roster. He's likely in a straight fight with Robert Beal Jr. for the last spot at the position, and has certainly shown more than Beal on the field so far.

Unfortunately, the nature of the NFL dictates that "potential" and "upside" win out more often than not, so it might be a tough hill to climb.

Regardless, his consistent hard work and solid play has given him more of a chance than would've been expected, given his bouncing around the league so far in his career.