The San Francisco 49ers chose to go heavy with linemen—and question marks—in their initial 53-man roster for the 2025 NFL season.
The San Francisco 49ers finalized their 53-man roster Tuesday, making cuts across all position groups. With several key players sidelined by injuries and suspensions, and the team suffering through their offseason roster purge, the 49ers face immediate concerns at key positions heading into the regular season.
Offense
Quarterbacks (2)
Brock Purdy, Mac Jones
Kurtis Rourke (Reserve/NFI)
The 49ers enter the season with just two active quarterbacks after placing rookie Kurtis Rourke on the reserve/non-football injury list as he recovers from knee surgery. Mac Jones serves as the primary backup despite an underwhelming preseason. The team could claim a quarterback off waivers or bring back one of their waived quarterbacks to the practice squad.
With limited weapons around him, Purdy will need to carry the 49ers' offense more than ever in 2025.
Running Backs (5)
Christian McCaffrey, Brian Robinson Jr., Isaac Guerendo, Jordan James, Kyle Juszczyk
Brian Robinson Jr.'s acquisition from Washington pushed fan favorite Jeff Wilson Jr. off the roster, but knowing Wilson, he'll likely be back. The 49ers hope newcomer Robinson can fill their 2024 Jordan Mason role while also adding to the team's passing attack.
Preseason injuries to both Guerendo and James, combined with the decision to rest other key players, limited the current running back room to a combined 19 rushing yards this preseason. Shanahan will need to carefully balance maximizing McCaffrey's impact while managing his workload to keep him healthy throughout the season.
Wide Receivers (5)
Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Jordan Watkins, Skyy Moore, Jacob Cowing
Brandon Aiyuk (Reserve/PUP), Demarcus Robinson (Reserve/Suspended)
The 49ers' Avengers return for another season in 2025. No, actually the 49ers' wide receiver room is a complete dumpster fire.
Aiyuk will miss the start of the year on the Reserve/PUP list and isn't expected back until well into the regular season. Robinson is suspended for the first three games for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Jennings hasn't practiced since late July due to an apparent combination of injury and contract concerns. Watkins is continuing to return from injury, while Cowing is on his way to injured reserve.
Pearsall stands as the lone healthy option, after missing much of the offseason and playing just one preseason drive. And no tears were shed in Kansas City when the 49ers managed to pry Moore from the Chiefs for essentially the minimum compensation possible—a late Day-3 draft pick swap in 2027. Moore failed to log a reception last season but will hopefully at least be able to contribute on special teams, since no other players who returned a kick or punt during the preseason made it through the 49ers' initial roster cuts.
The team released all of their healthy veteran free agent receivers—Robbie Chosen, Russell Gage, and Isaiah Hodgins—presumably under the assumption that outside interest would be limited, given the trio's combined 17 receiving yards in 2024. Look for the team to also scour the waiver wire for additional inexpensive options.
The empty status of the 49ers' wide receiver room prompts questions, but at least one thing is clear: Although the team's initial 53-man roster has been set, it won't remain in its current state for long. The 49ers will need to sign wide receivers before Week 1 in Seattle, simply in order to play the game.
Tight Ends (3)
George Kittle, Luke Farrell, Jake Tonges
The 49ers' tight end group is the most stable position group among the team's skill players, with Kittle leading the trio, Farrell providing overpriced blocking versatility, and Tonges' 47 preseason receiving yards topping all current players on the roster.
Offensive Line (10)
Trent Williams, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, Ben Bartch, Colton McKivitz, Spencer Burford, Connor Colby, Drew Moss, Austen Pleasants, Matt Hennessy
The 49ers kept 10 offensive linemen, including rookies Colby and Moss. The team's decision to retain this many linemen while cutting skill needed elsewhere highlights either significant depth concerns along the line or questionable resource allocation given the team's glaring needs across the roster—or both. While Colby and Moss offer clear potential for the future, the roster spots taken by Hennessy and Pleasants could arguably have been used on more promising talent.
Defense
Defensive Line (11)
Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams, Bryce Huff, Alfred Collins, C.J. West, Jordan Elliott, Kalia Davis, Sam Okuayinonu, Robert Beal Jr., Yetur Gross-Matos, Evan Anderson
Kevin Givens (IR, designated to return)
The most questionable decision on the 49ers' defensive line was waiving Sebastian Valdez, who was arguably the most impressive defensive lineman during the preseason. Keeping 11 defensive linemen while cutting a top performer raises serious questions about evaluation priorities.
Update: Valdez was signed to the 49ers' practice squad. San Francisco claimed former Jaguars DL Jordan Jefferson and waived Anderson.
Linebackers (5)
Fred Warner, Dee Winters, Nick Martin, Luke Gifford, Tatum Bethune
The 49ers enter the season with an intriguing group at the linebacker position. Warner is clearly the star, but all eyes are on undersized youngsters Dee Winters and Nick Martin, who flashed during the second two preseason games. The releases of Curtis Robinson and Chazz Surratt will unfortunately impact both the linebacker position and the special teams unit.
Cornerbacks (6)
Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout, Chase Lucas, Darrell Luter Jr., Siran Neal
Jakob Robinson (IR)
Waiving Dallis Flowers raised eyebrows given his preseason showing and the team's need for depth. Rookie Upton Stout is expected to contribute immediately despite his absence from preseason action due to injury, and the team will likely find playing time for Chase Lucas after a strong preseason.
Safeties (4)
Jason Pinnock, Ji'Ayir Brown, Marques Sigle, Richie Grant
Malik Mustapha (Reserve/PUP)
The group lacks proven and healthy depth with Mustapha sidelined, placing pressure on Brown to rebound from a rough 2024 season. Sigle is also an option to win a starting job early in the year.
Special Teams
Specialists (2)
Jake Moody (K), Jon Weeks (LS)
After some minor confusion, Thomas Morstead's release was revealed as a roster management move to create space for Jacob Cowing's planned injured reserve placement; the veteran punter is expected to return to the team as early as Wednesday. Moody remains the kicker despite accuracy issues that have persisted since his rookie campaign.
Skyy Moore appears positioned as the primary punt returner and kick returner. The team's second kick returner slot has not been announced but could be filled by a healthy Guerendo.