5 surprising cuts from the 49ers' opening 53-man roster
By Peter Panacy
49ers shocking roster cut No. 5: Linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball
It's tough being a fringe player on the best linebacking unit in the entire NFL.
That's the status for second-year pro Marcelino McCrary-Ball, who could probably start for a number of teams out there when considering the Niners do own the league's top linebacker corps, according to Pro Football Focus, thanks to the presence of Dre Greenlaw and All-Pro Fred Warner.
However, it's neither Warner nor Greenlaw who did McCrary-Ball in. No, it's the notable level of depth behind those two household names that ensured McCrary-Ball wouldn't make the 53-man roster.
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and Oren Burks are both valued for their special teams abilities, while rookies Dee Winters and Jalen Graham also impressed aplenty during preseason action.
McCrary-Ball needed to beat out one of them to have a remote chance. Despite playing very well, he simply couldn't achieve that feat.
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