4 potential surprise cuts 49ers may make after training camp

The 49ers have a Super Bowl-caliber roster entering 2023, meaning they'll have to part ways with players who'd likely start on other teams.

For the most part, it's pretty easy to look at the San Francisco 49ers' 90-man offseason roster and decide which players are locks to make the 53-man squad by the time Week 1 rolls around.

Also for the most part, there are only a handful of starting positions up for grabs, and even the bulk of backup roles have good-quality players lined up to assume spots on the depth chart.

However, as any fan knows well enough, predictions often go awry, and there are plenty of yet-to-happen developments between the start of training camp and when final roster cuts are made prior to the start of the regular season.

There are usually some surprises, too.

Whether it's to save salary cap space or to open up a roster spot for a younger, cheaper and more promising player, these four Niners could find themselves part of this year's roster cut-downs in a rather surprising fashion.

Note: All contractual information, courtesy of Over the Cap.

49ers cut candidate No. 1: Safety Tashaun Gipson

San Francisco saved money when it elected to re-sign veteran safety Tashaun Gipson instead of its longest-tenured player, Jimmie Ward, during the offseason.

However, in a long-term move, the 49ers also used their first pick in this year's NFL Draft on rookie defensive back Ji'Ayir Brown, and there's no doubting they want him to assume the starting free safety job sooner than later.

If Brown impresses enough during camp, he could easily push the 33-year-old Gipson off the roster at a cost of $1.37 million in dead money.