The 49ers added eight players via the 2024 NFL Draft and a slew of undrafted free agents, meaning there'll be some veterans on the roster bubble.
Technically, the San Francisco 49ers will have no more than 90 players on their offseason roster.
Unofficially, though, they have 92 after adding eight players via the 2024 NFL Draft and signing a reported nine undrafted free agents. Since many of the NFL draftees haven't inked their contracts yet, teams like the Niners can carry other players but will have to execute some roster cuts once those signings go official.
For our purposes, though, we'll take a look at those 93 who are either officially part of San Francisco, recently drafted by San Francisco or were reportedly signed by San Francisco as undrafted free agents.
The 49ers own a Super Bowl-caliber roster, meaning it'll be tough for all but the highest-drafted rookies to make the initial cut prior to Week 1, and UDFAs always face an uphill battle to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.
But, going through each position, we can at least determine who's on the roster bubble, who's safe and who's a long shot with almost zero chance.
Here are our four types of roster-bubble categories:
- Lock: Barring an injury or anything crazy, he'll be there in Week 1
- Strong bubble: Not quite guaranteed a spot, but a good chance
- Weak bubble: Probably not, but you never know
- Long shot: Hope you enjoyed training camp, pal
Let's dive into a position group that needs no drama where everyone is essentially a lock.
Note: * denotes rookie
All contractual information, courtesy of Over the Cap unless otherwise specified
49ers bubble watch: Special teams
Lock: Jake Moody, Mitch Wishnowsky, Taybor Pepper
Strong bubble: None
Weak bubble: None
Long shot: None
A year ago, the Niners made waves by grabbing kicker Jake Moody in Round 3 of the draft after trading with the Carolina Panthers for veteran kicker Zane Gonzalez.
It was Moody's job to lose, given his draft status, and he cemented that role once the preseason concluded, leading to Gonzalez's release.
San Francisco added precisely zero specialists in free agency or the draft this offseason, so each of the 49ers' specialists this year are all but locked into place.
49ers bubble watch: Secondary
Lock: Charvarius Ward, Renardo Green*, Deommodore Lenoir, Malik Mustapha*, Ji'Ayir Brown, George Odum
Strong bubble: Darrell Luter Jr., Samuel Womack, Rock Ya-Sin, Isaac Yiadom, Tayler Hawkins, Talanoa Hufanga
Weak bubble: Chase Lucas, Ambry Thomas, Erik Harris
Long shot: Kemon Hall, Jaylen Mahoney*, Ryan Poole*
Plenty of intrigue within the defensive backfield, as rookie draftees Renardo Green and Malik Mustapha look to make their impact felt right away.
Green could potentially push either Rock Ya-Sin or Isaac Yiadom out of a starting job opposite Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, but Ya-Sin and Yiadom each carry more than $1 million in guaranteed money apiece, which is a good indicator they'll make the 53-man roster unless they flop in camp.
In Mustapha's case, he could challenge for a starting job if fourth-year pro Talanoa Hufanga isn't quite recovered from last year's ACL tear, which still puts his availability for Week 1 in doubt.
Would the Niners opt to shelve Hufanga on an injury list to open up the season so they could save that roster spot for someone they like but hasn't made a substantial impact yet, say, Tayler Hawkins or Darrell Luter Jr.?
Hufanga's recovery will be something to watch this offseason.
49ers bubble watch: Linebacker
Lock: De'Vondre Campbell, Fred Warner
Strong bubble: Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Jalen Graham, Dee Winters
Weak bubble: Dre Greenlaw, Curtis Robinson, Ezekiel Turner, Tatum Bethune*
Long shot: None
Notably less drama here at linebacker, although Dre Greenlaw's torn Achilles casts a major doubt as to whether or not he'll be available in Week 1.
In all likelihood, Greenlaw begins the regular season on an injury list, which means someone like Dee Winters or Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles steps into a prominent role alongside Fred Warner and the offseason free-agent pickup, De'Vondre Campbell, whose one-year deal includes $4.56 million in guaranteed money.
Winters' development might be something to watch this season, too, as Greenlaw is a free agent in 2025.
To guard against Winters not living up to par, though, San Francisco can hope its final pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, Tatum Bethune, turns into the latest installment of late-round gems the team has had over the years.
49ers bubble watch: Defensive line
Lock: Nick Bosa, Maliek Collins, Jordan Elliott, Leonard Floyd, Kevin Givens, Yetur Gross-Matos, Javon Hargrave
Strong bubble: Robert Beal Jr., Kalia Davis, Drake Jackson
Weak bubble: Alex Barrett, Earnest Brown, Austin Bryant, T.Y. McGill, Spencer Waege,
Evan Anderson*
Long shot: Raymond Johnson, Sam Okuayinonu
It's crazy to think, but the 49ers didn't use a first- or second-round draft pick on a defensive lineman. They didn't even use a single pick on the D-line, although they did grab undrafted free-agent Evan Anderson to the tune of $280,000 in guaranteed money:
#49ers went big for undrafted defensive tackle Evan Anderson: $280,000 total guaranteed money, $30,000 to sign and $250,000 of his base salary guaranteed, per a source
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 28, 2024
That's a lot for a UDFA, which increases Anderson's roster chances to a small extent. But it doesn't change the fact this group is a crowded one.
Assuming the Niners keep nine defensive linemen, there are only enough spots for probably two rotational players, meaning the likes of Drake Jackson, Kalia Davis, Alex Barrett and Robert Beal Jr. need to make notable strides in camp this offseason to stand out in a positive manner.
Jackson, San Francisco's top pick of the 2022 draft, has underwhelmed the last two seasons and has spent the latter half of his first two pro seasons inactive or on an injury list.
2024 is likely his last shot with the 49ers.
49ers bubble watch: Offensive line
Lock: Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Jon Feliciano, Colton McKivitz, Dominick Puni*, Trent Williams
Strong bubble: Spencer Burford, Jaylon Moore, Nick Zakelj, Jarrett Kingston*
Weak bubble: Ben Bartch, Corey Luciano, Brandon Parker, Drake Nugent*
Long shot: Isaac Alarcon, Sebastian Gutierrez, Briason Mays
It was a bit of a shocker the Niners didn't use a first- or a second-round pick on an offensive lineman, rather opting to grab the versatile Dominick Puni in Round 3.
Puni could compete right away for right guard, although Jon Feliciano appears to be penciled in there for now. San Francisco also appears comfortable enough with Colton McKivitz at right tackle, too, even if Puni played tackle in college.
The rest of the O-line questions focus on depth.
Returnees like Jaylon Moore, Spencer Burford and Nick Zakelj should feel threatened by rookies like Puni and Jarrett Kingston, who could immediately challenge for backup roles this season. And it's likely the 49ers retain eight offensive linemen with two or three more reserved on the practice squad.
The latter destination is likely where backups like Corey Luciano and Drake Nugent find themselves in 2024.
49ers bubble watch: Tight end
Lock: George Kittle, Eric Saubert
Strong bubble: Cameron Latu, Brayden Willis
Weak bubble: Jake Tonges
Long shot: Mason Pline*
At tight end, it's All-Pro George Kittle and...
The Niners face a potential emergency if Kittle suffers a serious injury, which has happened a few times in his career. After losing Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley (still unsigned) to free agency this offseason, San Francisco's original contingency plan was to attept to sign away Detroit Lions restricted free-agent tight end Brock Wright, only to see Detroit match San Francisco's offer.
Instead, the 49ers grabbed another veteran, Eric Saubert, who'll be Kittle's primary backup.
After that, it's fluid.
Cameron Latu flopped in training camp last year before landing on season-ending injured reserve, essentially redshirting his rookie season. The Niners likely want to try at least one more year with his development to protect their investment, but he's not fully safe.
That could open the door for someone like Brayden Willis or even Jake Tonges to emerge as a dark-horse TE3 on the depth chart.
49ers bubble watch: Wide receiver
Lock: Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Ricky Pearsall*, Jauan Jennings
Strong bubble: Ronnie Bell, Chris Conley, Trent Taylor, Jacob Cowing*
Weak bubble: Danny Gray
Long shot: Tay Martin, Terique Owens*
No shortage of intrigue at wide receiver after plenty of rumors surrounded whether or not San Francisco would trade Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel before, during or even after the NFL Draft.
For now, it seems as if the 49ers plan on fielding both as starters, while their top pick, Ricky Pearsall, fights with Jauan Jennings for WR3 duties.
Considering it'll be tough for the Niners to keep Samuel, Aiyuk and Jennings together beyond 2024, however, look for Pearsall to make his mark in 2025 and beyond.
It's harder to say what happens after that, as shifty slot receiver Jacob Cowing could contend with the returning veteran and punt returner, Trent Taylor, for the very back end of the depth chart. But Taylor carries zero in guaranteed money on his current contract, which potentially means he'll be gone if Cowing wins out
Like Drake Jackson, Danny Gray probably gets this final chance to make an impact.
49ers bubble watch: Running back
Lock: Kyle Juszczyk, Christian McCaffrey, Isaac Guerendo*
Strong bubble: Jordan Mason, Elijah Mitchell
Weak bubble: Patrick Taylor Jr.
Long shot: Cody Schrader
Elijah Mitchell can't stay healthy, which helps explain why San Francisco grabbed Isaac Guerendo, a big and speedy rusher with dual-threat prowess, in Round 4.
It's possible Guerendo emerges as the primary No. 2 tailback to support the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Christian McCaffrey, while the third-string job gets settled in a camp competition between Mitchell and Mason, the loser of which potentially seeing his 49ers tenure come to a close.
Especially if another one of the offseason free-agent pickups, Patrick Taylor Jr., proves his value where he's needed most: special teams.
Taylor carries zero in guaranteed money, though, so his own roster chances aren't necessarily that good.
But, if someone like Mitchell is jettisoned after training camp, Taylor's roster chances would increase substantially.
49ers bubble watch: Quarterback
Lock: Brock Purdy, Josh Dobbs
Strong bubble: Brandon Allen
Weak bubble: Tanner Mordecai*
Long shot: None
About the only thing of interest at quarterback is the right to be the third-string option behind Brock Purdy, the unquestioned starter, and the free-agent veteran pickup, Josh Dobbs.
Dobbs will earn far more in guaranteed money than last year's third-string option, Brandon Allen, who was a weekly inactive and emergency QB and will make $700,000 in guaranteed cash this year.
That's still a lot for someone the Niners don't plan on naming to the 53-man roster, although it'll be interesting if the undrafted Tanner Mordecai out of Wisconsin can generate enough buzz that San Francisco has no other choice but to name him QB3 over Allen.
There are some things to like about Mordecai, so it's certainly possible. Heck, Purdy set the standard for late-round or undrafted quarterbacks to seemingly emerge out of nowhere, and the 49ers can hope they struck proverbial gold twice in three years.
Probably not, though.