The San Francisco 49ers cut their roster from 90 to 53 players on Tuesday, but their work clearly isn’t done. The team will almost certainly be making more moves on Wednesday, after a full day has accrued and players like cornerback Ambry Thomas — who made the initial 53-man with a broken forearm — can head to injured reserve with their eligibility to return this season preserved.
The first draft of the roster includes two players who haven’t taken part in a single practice this season — receiver Brandon Aiyuk, whose contract situation continues to confound the team, and safety Talanoa Hufanga, who was activated from the physically unable to perform list Tuesday. It does not include tackle Trent Williams, although there is a gaping hole for him on the depth chart.
Quarterbacks (3)
Brock Purdy, Joshua Dobbs, Brandon Allen
Cut: Tanner Mordecai
The NFLPA rejected the rule that would’ve allowed for emergency third quarterbacks to come off the practice squad. That essentially sealed the 49ers’ decision to carry all three of their top QBs on the 53-man roster. It’s a decision they probably would’ve made regardless of that adjustment because both Allen and Dobbs delivered good preseasons and the 49ers are in the business of stockpiling quarterbacks. On that note, expect them to re-sign Mordecai to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Running backs (5)
Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason, Isaac Guerendo, Patrick Taylor Jr., Kyle Juszczyk (fullback)
Cuts: Matt Breida, Cody Schrader, Ke’Shawn Vaughn
Injured reserve: Elijah Mitchell
The 49ers have consistently carried four running backs and one fullback on their 53-man roster. The surprising final addition here is Taylor, a good pass protector who ran hard in the preseason. A spot opened up when the 49ers placed Mitchell on season-ending injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Mason is now the clear No. 2 behind McCaffrey. Will Schrader’s time with the 49ers continue on the practice squad? The SEC’s leading rusher from last season proved to be a reliable and versatile piece for the 49ers over the past month. The 49ers might also arrange for another reunion with Breida if they need a healthy body later this season.
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Wide receivers (7)
Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel Sr., Jauan Jennings, Jacob Cowing, Chris Conley, Ricky Pearsall, Ronnie Bell
Cuts: Trent Taylor, Robbie Chosen, Danny Gray, Tay Martin, Jontre Kirklin
Yes, Aiyuk remains on the roster. He’s officially occupying a 53-man spot as his hold-in continues, so there should theoretically be growing pressure to resolve that situation. The 49ers managed to roster their most efficient grouping here, because Cowing seems in line to be the team’s punt returner while Conley is a very good gunner. Questions will persist about Pearsall’s shoulder until he’s out of the blue non-contact jersey in practice and contributing in games, but the 49ers will have some runway there — especially if they can resolve Aiyuk’s hold-in. Bell might’ve made the team with a last-minute surge: He caught seven passes at Monday’s practice after delivering a tenacious punt return in the preseason finale.
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Tight ends (2)
George Kittle, Jake Tonges
Cuts: Eric Saubert, Logan Thomas, Brayden Willis, Cameron Latu, Mason Pline
The biggest surprise of the day came when the 49ers waived both Latu and Willis. Tonges, who was on the practice squad last season, usurped the pair of second-year tight ends. Although Latu was clearly improving, the 49ers couldn’t justify keeping him instead of a more polished player. Aside from being a consistent receiver throughout camp, Tonges filled in as the fullback on some of Juszczyk’s veteran days off. He executed more cleanly in that role than Willis, who missed an early block at fullback in Las Vegas. It’d be wise to not read too much into the release of Saubert, who’d been the No. 2 tight end behind Kittle throughout camp and preseason. The 49ers will likely re-sign him and possibly Thomas after they clear a pair of roster spots with moves to injured reserve on Wednesday. That’s why the team only has two tight ends when four is its usual number.
Jake Tonges’ versatility as a tight end and fill-in fullback likely helped him earn a spot. (Stephen R. Sylvanie / USA Today)
Offensive line (8)
Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, Colton McKivitz, Jaylon Moore, Nick Zakelj, Spencer Burford, Jon Feliciano
Cuts: Ben Bartch, Jarrett Kingston, Brandon Parker, Lewis Kidd, Chris Hubbard, Sebastian Gutierrez, Drake Nugent, Isaac Alarcon
Reserve/did not report: Trent Williams
With Williams still holding out, this is a trickier position group to sort out. He does not currently count against the 53-man roster. However, Feliciano is on the initial roster even though Shanahan did recently say that a knee surgery would cost him about half the season. The 49ers, then, might move Feliciano to injured reserve Wednesday — after he’s accrued the necessary day on the 53-man roster to be eligible to return this season. That’d open up a spot for a released veteran like Saubert. The 49ers probably weren’t thrilled to waive Kingston and Nugent, a pair of promising rookies. But they’ll hope to re-sign that pair to the practice squad Wednesday. That’ll require Kingston and Nugent to clear waivers.
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Defensive line (9)
Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos, Jordan Elliott, Robert Beal Jr., Kevin Givens, Sam Okuayinonu
Cuts: Evan Anderson, Shakel Brown, Alex Barrett, T.Y. McGill, Jonathan Garvin, Nick Williams
Injured reserve: Kalia Davis
Reserve/PUP: Drake Jackson
When Floyd was taken off the field with a knee injury on Friday, the first player who replaced him was Okuayinonu. At around 270 pounds, he’s a little bigger than the others at the position and he’d be a possible early-season replacement if Gross-Matos, who also suffered a sprained knee in the preseason finale, is slow to return from his injury. The 49ers cut a pair of young, wide-bodied defensive tackles in Anderson and Brown. One or both could be back on the practice squad as could McGill, who was a practice squad mainstay last season.
Linebackers (6)
Fred Warner, De’Vondre Campbell Sr., Dee Winters, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Curtis Robinson, Tatum Bethune
Cuts: Jalen Graham
PUP: Dre Greenlaw
Seventh-round pick Bethune, who was a tackling machine in the preseason, beat out last year’s seventh-round linebacker, Graham, for the final spot. Both played middle linebacker with the reserve units this summer. Bethune was more of a downhill thumper throughout training camp and the preseason. Graham could be back on the practice squad on Wednesday. The 49ers also held onto veterans Flannigan-Fowles and Robinson, both of whom have large roles on special teams. One of them, however, could be a casualty when Greenlaw is ready to play.
Tatum Bethune got the initial nod over the 49ers’ 2023 seventh-rounder Jalen Graham. (Kyle Terada / USA Today)
Cornerbacks (6)
Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Isaac Yiadom, Renardo Green, Darrell Luter Jr., Ambry Thomas
Cuts: Samuel Womack III, Chase Lucas, Rock Ya-Sin
Thomas made the initial roster ahead of Ya-Sin, Womack and Lucas, but that’s probably only temporary. The 49ers likely will place Thomas (broken forearm) on injured reserve later this week, thus opening up a spot for one of the positions where they are light. It’s possible that Ya-Sin, who was one of the most consistent corners this summer, is back at some point either on the 53-man roster or practice squad. Though there’s still a question about who the No. 3 cornerback will be — Yiadom or Green — the position seems far sturdier than it was last year at this time.
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Safeties (4)
Ji’Ayir Brown, Talanoa Hufanga, George Odum, Malik Mustapha
Practice squad: Tracy Walker III, Jaylen Mahoney
The 49ers activated Hufanga from the PUP after his Nov. 19 ACL tear. He has yet to re-join practice and the 49ers might continue to be cautious with him heading into the opener against the New York Jets. If that’s the case, they could elevate a safety off the practice squad for that game. Both Walker and Mahoney are candidates. Mustapha has been operating as the team’s No. 3 safety and also has been active on special teams.
Specialists (3)
P Mitch Wishnowsky, PK Jake Moody, LS Taybor Pepper
Cut: Pressley Harvin III
Moody was dealing with a quadriceps strain at this time last year and his availability for the Week 1 game in Pittsburgh was in doubt. This year he’s healthy and coming off a strong training camp. For the second straight season, the team likely will rely on rookies on special teams. Trent Taylor’s release signals that Cowing is expected to handle punt returns while Guerendo is the frontrunner for kickoffs.
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(Top photo of Talanoa Hufanga: Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
