Most intriguing position battles for San Francisco 49ers in 2024
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers don't have a lot of starting positions up for grabs, but there are still plenty of provocative position battles to watch this summer.
For the most part, the San Francisco 49ers' 90-man offseason roster is complete.
Sure, general manager John Lynch and his staff still must sign their cast of 2024 NFL Draft rookies, and there'll inevitably be some back-end-of-the-roster transactions and changes.
But, for the most part, the names on the Niners' current roster will be the ones competing for jobs when offseason workouts and training camp roll around in late spring and summer.
San Francisco doesn't have a lot of room for starters, especially after retaining 18 of its 22 offensive and defensive starters from a season ago. But there's some wiggle room for depth and role positions, and a number of niche spots on the depth chart could be determined by who stands out the most during camp and in the preseason.
Let's take a look at five intriguing position battles to eyeball between now and Week 1.
No. 1: Wide receiver
Players to watch: Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, Ronnie Bell, Danny Gray
No other position garnered more offseason interest for the 49ers than wide receiver, especially with all the drama surrounding veterans Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
For now, it appears both will remain on the 53-man roster this season, but the depth behind them is awfully fluid.
Fans love watching rookies, of course, meaning all eyes will be on Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing. Pearsall, the first-round draft pick, could climb as high as WR3 on the depth chart with the possibility of eventually replacing either Aiyuk or Samuel in a year's time. Cowing, the speedster, might not see a massive role right away but has the potential to push someone like Ronnie Bell or the underachieving Danny Gray off the roster entirely.
Regardless, watching what happens between the third and sixth wide receiver spots should be reason enough to follow this pending position battle.