All roads lead to Seattle, but which players are getting on the bus?
Denver Broncos v San Francisco 49ers | Brooke Sutton/GettyImages
OK, so call me a nerd, but I do genuinely love preseason football. The roster battles, and the chance to evaluate players you only otherwise see on special teams during the regular season, can be awfully fun.
With that said, though, the San Francisco 49ers' third preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers was, well, a tough watch. Some poor play and a lot of injury and penalty stoppages made it a bit of a slog, although some players still took their opportunities to stand out.
How did it shake down the Niners' final 53-man roster? Let's take a look.
_Note: 'PS' denotes Practice Squad candidates._
49ers 53-man roster projection, 2025: Offense
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### Quarterback (2) - Brock Purdy, Mac Jones (Injured: Kurtis Rourke. PS: Tanner Mordecai. Cut: Carter Bradley)
I think the 49ers would like to have kept three here, but frankly, neither Mordecai nor Bradley ought to be close to playing in an NFL game. Mordecai has infinitely more upside, though, so he should make the practice squad.
Bradley is probably the worst 49ers quarterback I've ever seen, and I've seen Chris Weinke and Cody Pickett.
### Running back (5) - Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, Isaac Guerendo, Brian Robinson Jr, Jordan James. (Injured: Corey Kiner. PS: Jeff Wilson)
Kiner showed up well, and he'll get another crack next offseason. Wilson also showed he can still play, but he'll likely slide to the practice squad in place of having to risk James being exposed to waivers, unless James hits an injury list.
This position sees a lot of injury and attrition, especially on the Niners, so we'll see a bit of him this year.
### Wide receiver (5) - Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Russell Gage, Skyy Moore, Robbie Chosen (Suspended: Demarcus Robinson, Injured: Brandon Aiyuk, Jordan Watkins,
Jacob Cowing. PS: Malik Turner, Terique Owens)
Probably the position in the most flux on the roster, as Jennings, Cowing, Gage _AND_ Watkins' injuries will determine what happens here. I've chosen the least shaky six, but I'd be surprised if the last two are still on the roster in January.
Malik Turner had himself a nice preseason finale and could bag a practice squad spot as a result. It was also nice to see Owens catching touchdowns for the 49ers again, but he's had a quiet camp and preseason otherwise.
### Tight end (3) - George Kittle, Luke Farrell, Jake Tonges (PS: Brayden Willis)
The team seems to like Willis, but the fact Tonges was working at fullback in the preseason finale suggests he might have the inside track on a spot. Kittle and Farrell are locks, of course. Not much drama here, unless the team keeps four, but depth concerns elsewhere seem to make this unlikely.
### Offensive line (9) - Trent Williams, Ben Bartch, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, Colton McKivitz, Connor Colby, Spencer Burford, Drew Moss, Austen Pleasants (Cut: Nick Zakelj, Matt Hennessy, Isaiah Prince)
When I initially put this together, I had Cowing on the roster, but given his injury, he won't be. There were also 52 spots on the initial list, leaving one spot. That final spot at the time ended up being a choice between the offensive and defensive line, and the defensive line won out, because it's impossible to make a case for any of the cut offensive linemen bar possibly Hennessy.
Neither Pleasants nor Prince got close to looking like an NFL-capable tackle, and the Zakelj experiment should be over, as both Colby and Moss outplayed him over the course of the offseason.
However, the group is paper-thin at tackle, so absent an addition here, Pleasants makes it. Burford did OK, but played exclusively on the left, so any further depth is going to have to come from Pleasants, who ends up making it in the spot Cowing created, but he's not good enough to play in the NFL.
49ers 53-man roster projection, 2025: Defense
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### Defensive line (10) - Nick Bosa, Alfred Collins, Kalia Davis, Jordan Elliott, Bryce Huff, CJ West, Mykel Williams, Sam Okuayinonu, Sebastian Valdez, Evan Anderson (Injured: Kevin Givens, Yetur Gross-Matos. PS: Robert Beal, Trevis Gipson)
The largest group on the team, Okuayinonu, Valdez and Anderson all force their way on here, although one, likely Anderson or Okuayinonu, is under threat if and when Gross-Matos returns. In truth, neither has distinguished themselves, especially compared to Valdez, in the preseason, but they have some track record of production, and Kris Kocurek loves depth.
Don't rule out the team cutting Gross-Matos, given his cap hit is very high for minimal returns so far. A strong end to the preseason brings Beal back to the practice squad, but he's still a work in progress.
Givens starts the season injured, while a strong preseason finale earns Gipson a spot on the taxi squad, which isn't a bad place to be, considering the attrition here.
### Linebacker (6) - Tatum Bethune, Jalen Graham, Nick Martin, Curtis Robinson, Fred Warner, Dee Winters (Cut: Luke Gifford, Chazz Surratt)
This is probably the deepest position on the roster, and the one where some genuine NFL-caliber players will get cut. I've gone with Graham over the two veterans, primarily because of his development after failing to make the roster a year ago. Robinson is a better athlete than them both, too, so he should make it and have an impact on special teams.
Martin's stock is way up after incredible growth over the preseason, while as a certified Bethune-enjoyer, I'm pleased to see he seems to have locked up a roster spot. He's done great work since joining the Niners as a seventh-round draft pick, and may see a bigger role this year.
Surratt was impressive at making tackles in the preseason finale, but that was mostly 5-plus yards down the field. He might make it as a special-teamer, but he's not a needle-mover on defense, whereas any of these six could probably go into the game and play well.
### Cornerback (6) - Renardo Green, Deommodore Lenoir, Siran Neal, Upton Stout, Darrell Luter Jr, Dallis Flowers (PS: Chase Lucas. Injured: Jakob Robinson)
OK, so now, the surprise cut.
The final spots are between Lucas, Flowers and Luter Jr. Up until a week ago, Luter would've been the one on the outs, but after a strong preseason finale (particularly playing some sticky man coverage), his versatility and youth, as well as special teams experience, keeps him on the team.
That then leaves a decision between Lucas and Flowers, and I've sided with Flowers, if only because Flowers seemed to be getting some run as a starter in the early preseason, whereas Lucas has still been playing deep into preseason games, especially in the fourth quarter. Lucas is a versatile player and a capable special-teamer, but it feels like he could be stashed on the practice squad, as with last year, despite his standout preseason.
Robinson's injury allows the team to keep him around for next season, and that's good, as he looks like he's got great potential.
### Safety (4) - Marques Sigle, Ji'Ayir Brown, Richie Grant, Jason Pinnock (PS: Jaylen Mahoney. Injured: Malik Mustapha)
Not much drama to be had here, as the two veterans keep their spots (and Pinnock likely starts in Week 1), and will help on defense and special teams. Sigle has arguably been the team's most impressive rookie this offseason, and should be in line to start next to him.
The main intrigue around this spot will be twofold: When does Mustapha return, and will Brown actually make the team? His declining skills and lack of development point to him being an obvious trade candidate, especially with Robert Saleh's new broom overseeing the defense.
49ers 53-man roster projection, 2025: Special teams
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**Jake Moody, Thomas Morstead, Jon Weeks (3)**
Nothing to write home about here, except it seems inevitable [Moody will eventually flame out](https://ninernoise.com/jake-moody-roller-coaster-ride-leaves-49ers-no-choice) of his job in San Francisco. How many games will he be allowed to cost the team before this happens?
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