It's hard to come away with any sort of definitive conclusions following the San Francisco 49ers' 30-9 preseason defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos last Saturday.
Although it's safe to say a few of the Niners' rookies flashed in every promising way possible.
After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters undrafted rookie defensive lineman Sebastian Valdez "flashed the most," and it'd be hard to argue that sentiment. Additionally, wide receivers Jordan Watkins and Junior Bergen had some splash moments.
Watkins might have already locked up a roster spot despite suffering an ankle injury, but Bergen joins Valdez on the list of unheralded players whose bubble-watch stock value increases significantly.
There were some rookie disappointments, too, yet Shanahan and Co. can feel satisfied enough with the positives stemming from their rookie class.
As far as influencing San Francisco's roster bubble, though, let's take a look at who's safe, who's not and who has almost no chance, using our usual criteria:
- Lock: Barring serious injury, not going anywhere
- Strong bubble: No guarantees, but looking good
- Weak bubble: A lot of things have to line up the right way
- Long shot: Thanks for attending 49ers training camp
49ers bubble watch after preseason Week 1
* denotes rookie
Quarterback
Lock: Brock Purdy, Mac Jones
Strong bubble: None
Weak bubble: Carter Bradley
Long shot: None
Neither Bradley nor now-waived Tanner Mordecai did enough to suggest being worthy of a roster spot, going a combined 9-of-20 with two interceptions thrown, although it's reasonable to assume the Niners keep just two quarterbacks -- Purdy and Jones -- on the 53-man roster to save a spot for someone else.
Bradley only joined the squad recently, though, so he might be the better candidate for a practice squad spot.
Running back
Lock: Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, Isaac Guerendo
Strong bubble: Jordan James*, Corey Kiner*, Patrick Taylor Jr.
Weak bubble: None
Long shot: Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Jeff Wilson Jr.
James, Kiner and Taylor all have legitimate reasons to be on the 53-man roster, although there's a likelihood only two of those three are kept.
With James nursing a broken finger, Kiner flashed in Week 1 of the preseason and managed 45 yards on 10 carries, although Taylor's presence boosts special teams.
Ameer Adbullah (ribs) landed on injured reserve after Saturday night, which led to reports of Wilson returning, although that's likely just to finish off the preseason.
Wide receiver
Lock: Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins*
Strong bubble: Junior Bergen*, Russell Gage Jr.
Weak bubble: Brandon Aiyuk, Robbie Chosen, Isaiah Hodgins, Terique Owens, Demarcus Robinson
Long shot: None
Uncertainty at wide receiver makes the outcome very fluid, especially with Aiyuk (knee) and Robinson (likely suspension) unlikely to be available on the roster come the regular season, meaning nearly every one of the fringe wideouts has a chance to stick around a little longer.
Watkins made a statement with a 50-yard reception, although it sounds like he'll be out until the regular season after suffering a high-ankle sprain against Denver, while Bergen's 28-yard punt return heavily increased his stock from being just a fringe seventh-round hopeful into a strong candidate for the 53-man roster.
Good for him.
Tight end
Lock: George Kittle, Luke Farrell
Strong bubble: Brayden Willis
Weak bubble: Ross Dwelley, Jake Tonges
Long shot: None
Kittle and Farrell are about the only guarantees at tight end, meaning the remaining trio of Willis, Dwelley and Tonges will fight it out for one or two depth spots.
Tonges missed a key block in the first quarter against Denver that won't help his chances.
Offensive line
Lock: Trent Williams, Ben Bartch, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, Colton McKivitz, Spencer Burford
Strong bubble: Matt Hennessy, Austen Pleasants, Nick Zakelj, Andre Dillard
Weak bubble: Connor Colby*, Drake Nugent
Long shot: Isaac Alarcon, Drew Moss*
It might seem weird for Burford to be listed as a lock, but San Francisco appears to be giving him every chance at securing the primary swing tackle job behind Williams and McKivitz.
Remaining depth, though, is certainly concerning.
Defensive line
Lock: Nick Bosa, Alfred Collins*, Jordan Elliott, Bryce Huff, C.J. West*, Mykel Williams*
Strong bubble: Evan Anderson, Robert Beal Jr., Kalia Davis, Sam Okuayinonu, Sebastian Valdez*
Weak bubble: Jaylon Allen, Kevin Givens, Jonathan Garvin
Long shot: Bruce Hector, Bradlee Anae, Michael Dwumfour, Trevis Gipson
Givens (pectoral) is likely to miss considerable time, which opens up some serious competition for interior duties.
Valdez, after notching half a sack, a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hit, deserves serious consideration, and the undrafted rookie must be bumped up into the strong-bubble category following Saturday night.
West, too, was impressive even if the stat sheet didn't reflect it.
As long as two or three of the 49ers' rookie defensive linemen pan out, including the possibility of Valdez, the offseason D-line overhaul should pan out nicely.
Linebacker
Lock: Nick Martin*, Fred Warner, Dee Winters
Strong bubble: Tatum Bethune, Stone Blanton*, Jalen Graham, Chazz Surratt
Weak bubble: Luke Gifford, Curtis Robinson
Long shot: None
Martin, putting it bluntly, was a disappointment during his NFL debut, and the third-round draftee was credited with two missed tackles and had a number of missed angles, too. And while that might open up the door for someone like Bethune or Surratt to surpass him on the depth chart, the rookie's roster spot remains safe for now.
Blanton, meanwhile, impressed with five tackles and was consistently around the ball.
Secondary
Lock: Renardo Green, Siran Neal, Upton Stout*, Deommodore Lenoir, Ji'Ayir Brown, Richie Grant, Jason Pinnock, Marques Sigle*
Strong bubble: Tre Brown, Chase Lucas, Darrell Luter Jr.
Weak bubble: Derrick Canteen*, Dallis Flowers, Malik Mustapha, Jaylen Mahoney
Long shot: Fabian Moreau, Jakob Robinson*
Sigle not only has a legitimate shot at a roster spot, but he could potentially start while Mustapha works his way back from last season's ACL tear, which likely keeps him out for the start of the regular season.
Pinnock and Grant were brought in as key free-agent adds, but Lucas and Luter arguably made the biggest impressions during preseason Week 1, each notching a pass broken up.
While the depth behind the starters is questionable, perhaps the Niners secondary isn't quite as weak as fans had been led to believe.
Special teams
Lock: Jon Weeks, Thomas Morstead
Strong bubble: Jake Moody
Weak bubble: None
Long shot: None
San Francisco appeared to end the kicking competition by releasing Greg Joseph, leaving Moody alone on the depth chart.
That said, Moody could just as easily lose his job to any of the other kicking free agents out there (or soon to be out there) if he falters between now and Week 1.