3 players on 49ers' initial 53-man roster who won't last the whole season

The 49ers have a stacked roster, but some unique circumstances mean these three players won't be hanging around all the way through 2024.

The San Francisco 49ers should feel good about their opening 53-man roster heading into 2024.

With relatively few weaknesses, a Super Bowl-caliber Niners squad didn't leave much open for starting jobs, boasting Pro Bowl talent at nearly every position. Sure, there are some depth questions here and there (this is always the case with any top team), but head coach Kyle Shanahan's opening group is about as strong as can be entering Week 1.

Shanahan has previously said, though, that an opening 53-man roster is just that: opening. Due to injuries, roster moves and other factors, the roster will change frequently throughout the year.

Expect the same for San Francisco.

It's hard to predict injuries to players currently on the roster, but we can deduce some transactions likely to take place at various points this season, some of which are directly due to other players returning from injury.

With that in mind, these three players who managed to squeak onto the 49ers' opening 53-man roster won't enjoy the luxury of spending the entire year with this group.

No. 1: Wide receiver Ronnie Bell

Second-year wide receiver Ronnie Bell's addition to the regular-season crop was something of a shocker, especially after such a poor outing during the preseason in which he suffered dropped passes and incorrect routes.

Perhaps the Niners are banking on the 2023 seventh-round NFL Draft choice's upside. But, with the top trio of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings commanding almost all of the primary looks, Bell's impact should be minimal, at best.

And he might not be around beyond the first few weeks anyway.

Rookie first-round wideout Ricky Pearsall, who miraculously survived a gunshot wound to his chest during an attempted robbery just days before the regular season began, was placed on the non-football injury list and will miss at least the first four weeks. However, general manager John Lynch told the media Pearsall would "absolutely" play this season once the recovery is complete.

That means another receiver has to go, eventually, and the seemingly obvious choice is Bell.

No. 2: Linebacker Curtis Robinson

Unlike Bell, whose preseason underperformance influences his placement on this list, veteran linebacker Curtis Robinson did everything in exhibition games to justify a spot on the depth chart heading into Week 1.

However, the perennial practice squad player who thrived during preseason action this year remains in a precarious spot, especially after San Francisco opted to keep rookie backer Tatum Bethune on the 53-man roster, too.

Bethune and second-year pro Dee Winters are X-factors behind All-Pro Fred Warner and offseason pickup De'Vondre Campbell. But the bigger threat to Robinson's hold on a roster spot is injured linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who is poised to return at some point in 2024 after tearing his Achilles in the Super Bowl last February.

Of all the linebackers currently on the depth chart, Robinson seems the likeliest of candidates for a release and/or practice squad demotion upon Greenlaw's return.

No. 3: Running back Patrick Taylor Jr.

Fans didn't see much of another offseason free-agent pickup during the preseason, running back Patrick Taylor Jr., who is known more from a special teams perspective than any sort of offensive measurable.

As the No. 4 rusher on a depth chart that includes Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason and rookie Isaac Guerendo, Taylor's spot is precarious almost by default, and it'll be difficult for him to hold onto a 53-man roster spot solely based on his special teams prowess.

Fortunately, Taylor doesn't have the looming concern of an injured running back pending a return at some point this season. Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) is out for the year, and that likely points to Taylor being safe.

For now.

Unfortunately, Taylor probably ends up being an easy candidate to cut, should the 49ers opt to shuffle their roster to address needs elsewhere.

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