Will The 49ers Go Outside The Roster For Final 53?

The Niners must cut the active roster down to 53 by Tuesday at 1 p.m. The unknown is whether they’ll go outside the organization to fill roles on the lines or the secondary.

Trades are needed from a talent perspective, but on offense that’s balanced against Kyle Shanahan’s preference to keep players who know his system. As ESPN’s Nick Wagoner points out, waivers are tougher to pull off given the Niners are 30th in the claim order.

Quarterback (3)
Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold, Brandon Allen.

Shanahan has said Allen isn’t a lock. He may be cut and then brought back if the cutdown choices demand it, but my guess is he’s on the initial active roster.

Running Back (5)
Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, Ty Davis-Price.
Practice Squad: Jack Colletto.

Mitchell can’t stay healthy, some think that may make him a trade candidate, but he’s a Shanahan favorite as a talented mistake-free player.

Tight End (4)
George Kittle, Brayden Willis, Ross Dwelley
If necessary, cut then sign to 53: Troy Fumagalli
Cut then Practice Squad: Charlie Woerner
Redshirt IR: Cameron Latu

On talent, this should only include three players, but the team keeps four. Over the three exhibition games, Fumagalli outplayed Woerner. If the team is struggling to get to 53, they can take tight end down to three and then bring a 4th tight end back after clearing waivers.

Wide Receiver (5)
Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Ronnie Bell
On 53 initially then to temporary IR: Danny Gray, Ray-Ray McCloud
Cut then to 53: Willie Snead
Cut then practice squad: Chris Conley, Isaiah Winstead

All of the injuries here will require some roster musical chairs, with Gray and McCloud on the 53 then to IR, with the Niners hoping they can keep Conley and Snead to plug in. The problem is this plan requires six receivers on the initial 53, but cutting Gray or McCloud would risk losing them. Depending on the roster needs elsewhere, the Niners may still end up taking that risk.

Offensive Line (8)
Trent Williams, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford, Colton McKivitz, Jon Feliciano, Jaylon Moore
An outside acquisition?
On the bubble: Ilm Manning, Matt Pryor
Practice Squad: Leroy Watson, Jake Fisher, Alfredo Gutierrez (international exemption)
On the precipice: Nick Zakelj, Jason Poe
Prediction: They need an outside player but stay in-house, keeping Pryor and hoping to cut and then bring back Manning.

The talent gap from the starters to the backups is stark. Moore played well against the Chargers after two poor games. Cutting Manning is a risk, but his unique body type as a 6-2 short-armed lineman primarily playing tackle may enable him to slip through. One of the keys in cutdowns is predicting who will be claimed and who won’t.

On the practice squad, Watson and Fisher have more upside than Jason Poe and Nick Zakelj, who have not played well. Matt Pryor has been up and down.

The Niners need to add a backup swing tackle, the in-house options are lacking. A trade or waiver acquisition is warranted but I expect Shanahan will choose system experience over the limited available talent.

Defensive Line (10)
Clelin Ferrell, Arik Armstead, Javon Hargrave, Drake Jackson, Kevin Givens
On the bubble: Marlon Davidson, Kerry Hyder, Javon Kinlaw, T.Y. McGill
Outside acquisition?
Practice Squad: Kalia Davis and the bubble cuts
Prediction: They add an outside edge. When Bosa signs they cut Hyder.

Nick Bosa doesn’t count against the 53, making him more unlikely to sign by Tuesday. Davidson has played well, and Hyder had a great game against the Charger backups. Kinlaw is a favorite of John Lynch and worked hard to return to full health. McGee has shown flashes but has also been pushed around in the run game.

Given that edge is in heavy rotation and the depth is thin, an outside move would help.

Linebacker (5)

Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Oren Burks, Jalen Graham
On the bubble: Demetrius Flanagan-Fowles, Dee Winters, Marcelino McCrary-Ball
Prediction: They carry five and try to trade sixth on the depth chart.

The first decision is how many? Keeping six would benefit the special teams, however, trading one of the bubble players could bring back needed help on the lines or secondary. DeMeco Ryans in Houston would be interested in McCrary-Ball or Flanagan-Fowles, players he knows. Winters would also have value in trade as a high-upside rookie with great sideline-to-sideline speed.

The smart move here is a trade, any of the three bubble players fit as a final backup if they carry five.

Defensive Backs (10)
Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Talanoa Hufanga, Tashaun Gipson, Ambry Thomas, Samuel Womack, Ji’Ayir Brown, George Odum, Isaiah Oliver, D’Shawn Jamison
On the bubble: Qwuantrezz Knight
Cut then Practice Squad: Tayler Hawkins
Redshirt IR: Darrell Luter Jr.
Prediction: They go with five linebackers to have ten DBs.

Oliver’s unexpected drop in performance has left the Niners scrambling. His contract keeps him on the roster, and Steve Wilks plans to use a run-pass rotation at nickel. This puts Lenoir inside as Thomas and Womack compete for the outside corner in the pass personnel group.

Knight has played well, and as a physical player equally capable of defending the run and pass he is needed. But the roster numbers may not have a place for him and if so the team hopes they can bring him back. Jamison has value in the secondary and as a returner. Hawkins has had good moments, his hand injury should enable him to clear waivers.

What they think of Luter’s chances to contribute this year will be shown in his designation. If they move him to season-ending IR that opens a roster slot and time to develop him, but they could use Luter as a big corner later in the season. My expectation is he’s redshirted, he's missed too much development time.

Special Teams (3)
Jake Moody, Mitch Wishnowsky, Taybor Pepper

Moody will need to go on the 53 and then to temporary IR. The Niners will sign a temp at kicker for a few weeks. Robbie Gould is the sentimental choice, but he’d likely want a guaranteed job for the full season. So the team turns to Mason Crosby as a reliable vet if he’ll take the temp gig. If not, they'll bring in a couple of kickers for tryouts and pick one.