San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is on record saying the true competition for spots on the 53-man roster won't start until training camp, kicking off toward the end of July.
Now, this doesn't mean organized team activities and mandatory minicamp were meaningless. But, in light of the Niners' wide-sweeping roster changes from earlier this offseason, there's certainly plenty of room for speculation and surprises.
Especially after adding 11 drafted rookies from last April.
It's fun to predict and project who's a lock and who's not from San Francisco's current 90-man offseason roster, even though training camp will reveal more truths and realities than we can speculate at this point.
So, for those who haven't been here before, we'll break down the bubble watch into the following four categories:
Lock: He'll be on the roster (barring something unforeseen)
Strong bubble: Not quite a lock, but looking good
Weak bubble: A lot of things would have to work in this player's favor to make the cut
Long shot: Thanks for hanging out with us this offseason
Going through each position, let's take a look at all 90 players and determine in which of the four categories they belong.
Note: * denotes rookie
Quarterback
Lock: Brock Purdy, Mac Jones
Strong bubble: Tanner Mordecai
Weak bubble: None
Long shot: Kurtis Rourke*
The 49ers committed big bucks to Purdy recently, to the tune of a five-year, $265 million deal, ensuring he's the centerpiece for the long haul.
Jones, the former first-round draftee, arrived on a two-year free-agent deal to back up Purdy after the Niners let their backups from last year, Brandon Allen and Joshua Dobbs, walk in free agency.
Mordecai, who spent last season on the practice squad, has an open door to the 53-man roster as the emergency third-string QB, while Rourke's rookie season will be redshirted amid his recovery from a collegiate ACL tear.
Running back
Lock: Kyle Juszczyk, Christian McCaffrey
Strong bubble: Isaac Guerendo, Jordan James*
Weak bubble: Israel Abanikanda, Corey Kiner*, Patrick Taylor Jr.
Long shot: None
McCaffrey returns from an injury-plagued 2024 campaign, meaning the only drama here is who backs him up.
Plenty of questions on that front.
Guerendo seemed to be the logical choice after finishing strong last season, but the second-year pro's future is clouded by the addition of James, who offers more pass-catching versatility.
Don't count out Kiner, either, as the undrafted rookie might boast more upside as a third-string tailback than the other options.
Wide receiver
Lock: Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Jordan Watkins*
Strong bubble: Junior Bergen*, Jacob Cowing, Demarcus Robinson
Weak bubble: Russell Gage Jr., Terique Owens
Long shot: Brandon Aiyuk, Isaiah Hodgins, Malik Knowles, Isaiah Neyor*
Aiyuk is ticketed to start the year on the PUP list as he continues to recover from last year's devastating torn ACL and MCL, meaning the door is open for either Jennings or Pearsall to emerge as San Francisco's No. 1 wide receiver to open up 2025.
After that, things get cloudy in a hurry.
Robinson is facing a possible suspension for a DUI from last November, but nothing is official on that front yet. Cowing, meanwhile, looks to capitalize on the fluidity of the depth chart behind Jennings and Pearsall.
As for the rest? Well, it's a bit of a grab bag. Watkins, the rookie, made waves during OTAs and minicamp, while Bergen has the endorsement of special teams coordinator Brant Boyer after a successful collegiate career as a punt returner.
There's a lot to be figured out here toward the back end of the receiver depth chart.
Tight end
Lock: George Kittle, Luke Farrell
Strong bubble: Brayden Willis
Weak bubble: Ross Dwelley, Mason Pline, Jake Tonges
Long shot: None
Like Purdy, Kittle just got paid and is ensured to remain in the Bay Area for the long haul. The 49ers also committed hefty cash to Farrell in free agency, ensuring they have a quality blocking tight end to fill that void.
After that, though, it's anyone's guess.
Dwelley's free-agent return after one year with the Atlanta Falcons is a potential plus, but the NorCal veteran saw his field time diminish significantly in the years from 2021 through 2023, which points to the possibility of Willis, Pline and/or Tonges getting more looks in camp and during the preseason.
Shanahan has kept four tight ends on his 53-man roster before, but three seems to be the logical number entering 2025 with one of the leftovers ticketed for the practice squad.
Offensive line
Lock: Trent Williams, Ben Bartch, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, Colton McKivitz
Strong bubble: Spencer Burford, Andre Dillard, Matt Hennessy, Austen Pleasants, Nick Zakelj
Weak bubble: Connor Colby*, Sebastian Gutierrez, Drake Nugent
Long shot: Isaac Alarcon, Zack Johnson, Drew Moss*
Beyond the starters, it's anyone's guess how the Niners' offensive line rounds out, and the only glaring question facing the first-team unit is whether or not Bartch seizes the starting left guard job after Aaron Banks' free agency departure.
Bartch is the likeliest candidate, although Burford, Pleasants and even Zakelj remain in the mix.
Dillard, who arrived as a free agent, seems to be the best option for the reserve swing tackle role, although San Francisco has yet to identify a true backup to Brendel.
Perhaps that's where Nugent, a second-year pro who spent 2024 on the practice squad, makes his move.
Depth here is definitely a concern.
Defensive line
Lock: Nick Bosa, Alfred Collins*, Bryce Huff, C.J. West*, Mykel Williams*
Strong bubble: Evan Anderson, Jordan Elliott, Kevin Givens, Yetur Gross-Matos, Sam Okuayinonu
Weak bubble: Robert Beal Jr., Kalia Davis, Jonathan Garvin
Long shot: Tarron Jackson, Sebastian Valdez*
Depth is certainly not a concern for the 49ers defensive line, as three of the team's first five picks in the 2025 draft were used to address it, landing Williams, Collins and West, all of whom are expected to be major contributors in the coming years.
Givens, Elliott, Gross-Matos and Okuayinono figure to be the primary B-level reserves, while Anderson's promising rookie campaign in 2024 keeps him in strong consideration.
However, the Niners' recent additions also signify the dissatisfaction with the last few years' efforts to find D-line talent, evidenced by the more recent release of defensive end Drake Jackson, their top pick from the 2022 draft.
It wouldn't be shocking to see Beal and Davis follow a similar path when the final roster is announced in September.
Linebacker
Lock: Fred Warner, Nick Martin*, Dee Winters
Strong bubble: Tatum Bethune, Chazz Surratt
Weak bubble: Luke Gifford, Jalen Graham
Long shot: Stone Blanton*, Curtis Robinson
While not quite as drastic as the changes impacting the D-line, San Francisco's linebacker room will nevertheless look plenty different in 2025 after losing Dre Greenlaw to free agency.
Finding a running mate to pair with Warner will be difficult, as Winters and Martin seem to be the top two candidates, threatened modestly by Bethune and Surratt, the latter being a hand-picked addition, courtesy of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh's association with him during their New York Jets days.
Robinson, coming off a torn ACL, might have an outsider's chance of being 100 percent by Week 1, and it'd be a fitting reward after being a perennial practice squad player.
There may just be too many names for him to overtake on the depth chart, though, if he's fully healthy by that point.
Secondary
Lock: Renardo Green, Upton Stout*, Deommodore Lenoir, Ji'Ayir Brown, Richie Grant, George Odum, Marques Sigle*
Strong bubble: Tre Brown, Chase Lucas, Jason Pinnock
Weak bubble: Tre Avery, Darrell Luter Jr., Siran Neal, Jaylen Mahoney
Long shot: Derrick Canteen*, Dallis Flowers, Jakob Robinson*, Malik Mustapha
Like Aiyuk, Mustapha's ACL tear suffered late in the 2024 season means a PUP designation to open up 2025, which puts more pressure on Brown to bounce back from a frustrating campaign a year ago that saw him benched.
Safety might be the 49ers' biggest defensive concern because of this, especially with Sigle missing valuable field time because of injury during OTAs. The rookie's return and quick development might hold the key for the Niners to boast an adequate final level of defense, particularly early on until Mustapha's return.
San Francisco can rely on Odum, Pinnock and/or Grant to fill in as starters, although their primary calling cards will be on special teams.
As for cornerback, the 49ers eagerly want Stout, their third-round pick, to secure the starting nickel job, which would allow Lenoir and Green to patrol the perimeter.
Should Stout struggle here, though, Brown's presence becomes more vital.
Special teams
Lock: Thomas Morstead, Jon Weeks
Strong bubble: Jake Moody
Weak bubble: Greg Joseph
Long shot: None
Boyer completely overhauled the Niners' special teams battery this offseason, parting ways with punter Mitch Wishnowsky and long-snapper Taybor Pepper and replacing them with Morstead and Weeks, respectively.
And by grabbing Joseph, Moody is officially on notice after struggling mightly late last season.
One might guess San Francisco wants the 2023 third-round draftee to beat out Joseph in arguably the most high-profile camp competition going this summer, although it won't be a free pass for the embattled kicker.
Fans will pay close attention, though.
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