The San Francisco 49ers advanced to the NFC Championship Game in each of the last two seasons and will once again field an elite roster in 2023. But like every other NFL club, the 49ers will use training camp and the preseason to make difficult decisions regarding the back end of their depth chart.
Let’s run through San Francisco’s 90-man roster and determine how they’ll get to 53 players by the NFL’s Aug. 29 cutdown deadline.
San Francisco 49ers 53-Man Roster Projection
Quarterback
- In: Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold, Trey Lance
- Out: Brandon Allen
The 49ers got a dose of good news when Purdy didn’t have to begin training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list after suffering a torn UCL in January’s NFC title game. Purdy is currently working on a two-days-on, one-day-off schedule and is fully expected to be under center when the 49ers face the Steelers in Week 1.
San Francisco failed to trade Lance over the offseason, so he’s now competing with Darnold to become Purdy’s backup. The Niners may not decide on a No. 2 quarterback until the end of the preseason, but all three signal-callers should make the club’s roster. Allen, who backed up Joe Burrow in each of the past three years, could stick on the practice squad in case San Francisco trades Lance during the season.
Running Back
- In: Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, Tyrion Davis-Price, Kyle Juszczyk
- Out: Ronald Awatt, Jack Colletto, Khalan Laborn
McCaffrey will take all the work he can handle, but Mitchell has proven himself as one of the better No. 2 running backs in the league. While he’s currently dealing with an abductor strain, Mitchell should return to practice within the next week.
Mason flashed last season when given opportunities, and the former undrafted free agent is ahead of Davis-Price on San Francisco’s depth chart. Still, both backs should make the roster based on their special teams responsibilities.
Wide Receiver
- In: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McCloud, Danny Gray
- Out: Ronnie Bell, Chris Conley, Tay Martin, Dazz Newsome, Willie Snead, Isaiah Winstead
We’re projecting San Francisco to bring back the same receiving corps they deployed in 2022. Samuel, Aiyuk, and Jennings return as Purdy’s top three options on the depth chart, while McCloud was the only 49er to handle a kick or punt return last season.
Gray is the wild card. A third-round pick in last year’s draft, Gray should have every chance to earn a spot on San Francisco’s roster after managing just one reception on seven targets a season ago. He might face a training camp threat from Bell, a rookie seventh-rounder, but Bell is more likely to be stashed on the practice squad.
Tight End
- In: George Kittle, Charlie Woerner, Cameron Latu, Brayden Willis
- Out: Ross Dwelley, Troy Fumagalli
Kittle remains arguably the best two-way tight end in the NFL, and the 49ers made a serious attempt to find him a tag-team partner by adding Latu in the third round and Willis in the seventh of this year’s draft. Both rookies should make San Francisco’s roster and contribute on special teams in their first NFL campaigns.
With those three tight ends on the roster, there’s only room for one of Woerner and Dwelley. While Dwelley received $700,000 guaranteed this offseason, he’s three years older than Woerner, who also played more offensive and special teams snaps than Dwelley in 2022.
Offensive Line
- In: Trent Williams, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford, Colton McKivitz, Jon Feliciano, Matt Pryor, Jaylon Moore, Nick Zakelj
- Out: Joey Fisher, Alfredo Gutierrez, Keith Ismael, Corey Luciano, Ilm Manning, Jason Poe, Leroy Watson
The 49ers weren’t afraid to enter last season with Banks, Brendel, and Burford as unproven starters along their offensive line. McKivitz is the inexperienced newcomer this year, as he’ll replace free agent departure Mike McGlinchey at right tackle.
Feliciano looks like the top backup interior lineman, and he could potentially split snaps with Burford at right guard. Both Pryor and Moore should make San Francisco’s initial roster — it’s unclear which player profiles as the No. 1 swing tackle, but Pryor’s track record could give him the edge.
Zakelj and Poe are likely competing for one spot. With Banks and Feliciano dealing with minor injuries, the duo recently split time at left guard with the starting offense. The loser of this battle should land a spot on the 49ers’ practice squad.
Defensive Tackle
- In: Arik Armstead, Javon Hargrave, Javon Kinlaw, Keith Givens, Kalia Davis
- Out: Marlon Davidson, T.Y. McGill, Spencer Waege
Hargrave, who inked a four-year, $84 million contract with the 49ers over the offseason, joins Armstead to give the 49ers one of the more dominant DT duos in the league. Kinlaw is on thin ice after San Francisco declined his fifth-year option for 2024, but he’ll make the roster as a rotational option.
If the 49ers decide to retain five interior linemen, Davis will compete with McGill for the final slot. We’re going with Davis, who has made noise in training camp after missing his 2022 rookie campaign with a torn ACL. McGill, who has 55 career appearances under his belt, is a perfect candidate for San Francisco’s practice squad.
EDGE
- In: Nick Bosa, Drake Jackson, Clelin Ferrell, Kerry Hyder, Robert Beal Jr.
- Out: Alex Barrett, Austin Bryant, Taco Charlton, Darryl Johnson
Bosa is currently on the reserve/did not report list as he stages a training camp holdout in anticipation of a contract extension that should make him the NFL’s highest-paid defender. It seems like only a matter of time before a deal gets done, and Bosa should return to the 49ers well before the start of the regular season.
San Francisco lost Charles Omenihu and Samson Ebukam to free agency, so Jackson — San Francisco’s second-round pick in 2022 — will get the first chance to start opposite Bosa. Former Raiders first-rounder Clelin Ferrell is now on the 49ers’ DL career rehabilitation plan, while Beal has impressed during training camp and could have a more significant role than many anticipate.
Linebacker
- In: Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Oren Burks, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
- Out: Curtis Robinson, Jalen Graham, Marcelino McCrary-Bell, Kyahva Tezino, Dee Winters
We’re projecting the 49ers to go light at linebacker, which is only possible because they have two of the most talented LBs in the league in their starting lineup. Burks is the favorite to take over for Azeez Al-Shaair in base sets, although Flannigan-Fowles — a special teams ace — could push him there.
Graham, McCrary-Bell, and Winters will all have a chance to fight Flannigan-Fowles for a roster spot during training camp, but the latter received $1.25 million guaranteed when he re-signed with the 49ers this offseason. If San Francisco ultimately keeps five linebackers, they’d have to find somewhere else to trim the fat (likely at tight end or in the defensive backfield).
Cornerback
- In: Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Isaiah Oliver, Samuel Womack III, Darrell Luter Jr.
- Out: Anthony Averett, D’Shawn Jamison, Qwuantrezz Knight, A.J. Parker, Tre Swilling, Ambry Thomas
Ward, Lenoir, and Oliver are locked in as the 49ers’ starters in nickel packages, while Womack will be a backup outside and in the slot. Luter is currently on the PUP list with a hyperextended knee. He’s expected to return in a few weeks, but any setback could open the door for Thomas.
San Francisco turned to Thomas, a 2021 third-round pick, as a starter at the end of his rookie campaign but seemed to lose faith last year, as he played only 41 defensive snaps. It will be tough to cut a player who was chosen 102nd overall just two years ago, and Thomas could work his way back onto the roster during the preseason.
Safety
- In: Talanoa Hufanga, Tashaun Gipson, George Odum, Ji’Ayir Brown, Myles Hartsfield
- Out: Tayler Hawkins
Hufanga was a first-team All-Pro in his first season as a full-time starter and will again line up alongside Gipson in the 49ers’ secondary. Odum played the second-most special teams snaps on San Francisco’s roster last year, while third-round rookie Brown looks like Gipson’s long-term replacement in the back end.
Hartsfield isn’t a roster lock, but he has several things going for him. He played under new 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks in Carolina, and San Francisco pursued him in the opening days of free agency. Hartsfield is capable of playing safety, in the slot, or in the box and could become a versatile weapon if he makes the roster.
Specialists
- In: Jake Moody (K), Mitch Wishnowsky (P), Taybor Pepper (LS)
- Out: Zane Gonzalez (K)
The 49ers acquired Gonzalez from the Panthers in March in a swap of late-round 2025 picks, but he’s now just a camp body after San Francisco used a third-round selection on Moody. Wishnowsky and Pepper won’t face any training camp competition for their roles after both earned contract extensions within the past nine months.
