The San Francisco 49ers trimmed their roster to the mandatory 53-man limit yesterday, and while most of them were expected, some of them were surprises, including a trade.
Here are the players who made the roster by Sunday's deadline:
- Quarterbacks (3): Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, Kurtis Rourke
- Running Backs (4): Christian McCaffrey, Jordan James, Kaelon Black, Kyle Juszczyk
- Wide Receivers (6): Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, De'Zhaun Stribling, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins
- Tight Ends (4): George Kittle, Luke Farrell, Jake Tonges, Brayden Willis
- Offensive Linemen (8): Trent Williams, Dominick Puni, Colton McKivitz, Jake Brendel, Carver Willis, Vederian Lowe, Enrique Cruz Jr., Connor Colby
- Defensive Linemen (9): Nick Bosa, Osa Odighizuwa, Alfred Collins, Keion White, Sam Okuayinonu, C.J. West, James Thompson Jr., Gracen Halton, Romello Height
- Linebackers (7): Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Jaden Dugger, Garret Wallow, Tatum Bethune, Luke Gifford, Nick Martin
- Cornerbacks (6): Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout, Jack Jones, Ephesians Prysock, Nate Hobbs
- Safeties (4): Ji'Ayir Brown, Malik Mustapha, Marques Sigle, Siran Neal
- Specialists (1): K Eddy Piñeiro
Special Notes:
- Recently acquired OL Jarrett Patterson will take one of the open roster spots when the trade is official. The 49ers sent a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Houston Texans in exchange.
- Long Snapper Jon Weeks and Punter Corliss Waitman were released, but are expected to be signed back on Monday after the 49ers make corresponding moves.
The 53-man roster is really a procedural snapshot
In the NFL, player eligibility for the waiver wire depends on the number of accrued seasons a player has.
Players with fewer than four accrued seasons are subject to waivers during the initial roster cutdown period. Players with four or more accrued seasons are considered vested veterans and are not subject to waivers at this point in the NFL calendar. Once released, they become unrestricted free agents and can sign with any team immediately.
Corliss Waitman and Jon Weeks were released even though they're the team's punter and long snapper. Because they're vested veterans, they aren't subject to waivers. They can be brought back after San Francisco makes additional moves to add players, either from the 90-man roster, via waivers, or from released veterans from other teams.
Those moves will most likely involve placing players on the Reserve/Injured List. Since the team could only place two players (WR Christian Kirk and OL Austin Pleasants) before the cutdown on the Reserve/Injured-Designated To Return List, the only way to protect some players from the waiver process is to release vested veterans they intend to sign back after they make corresponding moves on Monday.
There were also two players, DL Mykel Williams and RB Isaac Guerendo, who were moved from the Active/PUP list to the regular season Reserve/PUP list, which saved them from using a spot on the 53-man roster.
These four players will miss the first four games of the season against the Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, and Denver Broncos.
Injuries are shaping this roster almost as much as performance
Besides Kirk, Pleasants, Williams, and Guerendo, some players could be expected to land on the regular season Reserve/Injured List. NFL teams are allowed eight return-from-IR designations during the regular season, with two additional designations available to teams that reach the postseason, bringing the total to 10.
Given the 49ers' recent history of in-season injuries, they will need to be careful about using those designations too early.
Several players like Nick Bosa, Vederian Lowe, Malik Mustapha, Nick Martin, Luke Gifford, Garrett Wallow, Nate Hobbs, Ephesians Prysock, Renardo Green, Brayden Willis, and Jacob Cowing are all on the 53-man roster who have missed training camp time or gotten recently injured.
While we don't know the exact severity of injuries or return timelines for these players, some have been mentioned as returning to practice this week.
That is what makes the upcoming moves interesting to watch. They'll need at least two moves to make room for Waitman and Weeks, but will need more if they add players they released or waived, or acquire from other teams' releases, to compensate for the injured players.
The next deadline: Monday at 1 p.m. ET
The next important deadline comes today, Monday at 1:00 p.m. ET, when waiver claims for players released during Sunday's roster cuts must be submitted.
If more than one team submits a claim for the same player, the team with the higher waiver priority is awarded the player and assumes his existing contract.
Teams can claim as many players as they want without worrying about anyone behind them in the order. You have to keep in mind that this isn't like fantasy football where the team loses the priority after a claim. If the Raiders, who currently have the top priority, want to claim three players, they're getting all three. That is a tremendous roster advantage.
The 49ers are at number 27 on the waiver wire order.
Players who go unclaimed become free agents and can sign with any team, including the one that waived them.
For the 49ers, that means Monday will not only be looking at players released by other teams, but also which of their own waived players remain available to bring back.
Once the waiver process is complete, another important part of the roster begins to take shape: the Practice Squad.
The Practice Squad
The practice squad has become an important extension of an NFL roster, particularly during a season when injuries can quickly change a team's depth.
Teams can carry 16 players on the practice squad, with a 17th spot available for a qualifying International Player. Those spots allow teams to retain developmental players, experienced veterans, and players who can provide immediate depth during the season.
For the 49ers, the practice squad could take on additional importance because of the number of players already dealing with injuries entering Week 1. A practice squad player can be elevated to the active roster for a game up to three times during the season without occupying a permanent spot on the 53-man roster. After the third elevation, the 49ers would have to sign that player to the active roster if they want to use him again.
Several players released during Sunday's cuts could return to San Francisco once the waiver process is complete. The 49ers will also have an opportunity to look outside the organization, whether through waiver claims or veterans released by other teams who are free to sign immediately.
Some of those players the 49ers would like to have back, among others, could be:
- QB Adrian Martinez
- RB Khalil Herbert
- WRs KhaDarel Hodge, Malik Turner, Will Pauling, and Wesley Grimes
- TEs Khalil Dinkins and Hayden Rucci
- OL Drake Nugent
- DLs Ogbo Okoronkwo, Bryson Eason, and Sebastian Valdez
- LBs Larry Worth III and Deion Jones
- CBs Darell Luter Jr and Jakob Robinson
- S Ashtin Davis
There are a few players around the league who could be worth a look for San Francisco, particularly at positions where injuries or performance, like Left Guard, have created uncertainty. The NY Giants' Evan Neal and former 49er Daniel Brunskill were among the players cut from their teams yesterday and could be intriguing options to pick up.
By Monday afternoon, the picture should begin to look much different.
The 49ers met Sunday's requirement by getting their roster down to 53 players. What happens next will determine which 53 they actually take into the season.
Waiver claims, injured reserve moves, veteran signings, and the formation of the practice squad could all change the roster over the next several hours.
Getting to 53 was the deadline, but building the roster isn't finished yet.
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