Pre-Camp 53 Roster Prediction

Just read that Will Tukuafu got released. That means that Derek Carrier makes it.

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:

Originally posted by SonocoNinerFan:
Matt Barrows ‏@mattbarrows 45s
Former Stanford LB Shayne Skov has been waived by the #49ers, according to a league source.

He'll be back on the PS

Fingers crossed he clears waivers

Originally posted by 74offsuit:

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:

Originally posted by SonocoNinerFan:
Matt Barrows ‏@mattbarrows 45s
Former Stanford LB Shayne Skov has been waived by the #49ers, according to a league source.

He'll be back on the PS

Fingers crossed he clears waivers

Trust me, they are

And down goes Snyder

Baalke strikes again, nobody had Nelson over McDermott and not more than a few had Farrell over Seymour. I guess Farrell the better backup C but Seymour can play C/G/T. Farrell probably just C/G. I'll be updating the new depth chart and putting my thoughts aas soon as the rest of the cuts are in.

Side note hopefully it's Osgood but maybe with 7 OL it's snyder who comes back in a few days or after week 1 at a much smaller contract. just thinking outside the box

Originally posted by Gore_21:
Baalke strikes again, nobody had Nelson over McDermott and not more than a few had Farrell over Seymour. I guess Farrell the better backup C but Seymour can play C/G/T. Farrell probably just C/G. I'll be updating the new depth chart and putting my thoughts aas soon as the rest of the cuts are in.

Side note hopefully it's Osgood but maybe with 7 OL it's snyder who comes back in a few days or after week 1 at a much smaller contract. just thinking outside the box

I know I didn't

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:
Don't see McCray making this 53. He'll be on the PS. Jimmie Ward will not play safety (except during adjustments), not at least this season.

Or if Reid or Bethea keep getting concussed.

53 Man Roster Post Cuts With Thoughts:
24 Offense - 26 Defense - 3 ST
(3) QB: Kaepernick, Gabbert, Johnson
I think the plan was to have Gabbert play well and be the #2 and Johnson would have been cut. Then Harbaugh would have looked for a young waiver wire guy to work with. Since neither stood out and proved to be reliable we kept both.

(4) RB: Gore, Hyde, James, Miller
Hopefully Winston makes it to the PS and stays there all year. Would love to give him a shot next year. James made it but could be gone when Lattimore is back. If he makes it through the year he will have to restructure or get cut because no way we pay him 1.042 mil next year when we can cut him and only have 213k in dead money. This is his last year most likely so forget about re-signing him after 2015, he wouldn't re-sign with us anyways.

(3) TE: Davis, McDonald, Carrier
Depending on how Carrier is doing Celek could replace him once he gets back after week 6 (PUP). Celek is a FA after this year though so maybe they want Carrier to be that guy. I think we could draft an upgrade over those two instead.

(6) WR: Crabtree, Boldin, Johnson, Lloyd, Ellington, Patton
I expect Osgood to be brought back after week 1 and probably at a smaller cost while allowing us to pay him week by week and not have the entire thing guaranteed.

(8) OL: Staley, Iupati, Kilgore, Looney, Davis, J.Martin, Dillon Farrell, M. Martin
Martin 3rd T/2nd G, Farrell 2nd C/3rd G, Looney 2nd or 3rd C as well - - I think Farrell is gone when M. Martin is healthy or when Boone is back. I think we chose Farrell over Seymour who can play C/G/T because Farrell probably was the better backup C and that's what we needed over backup G/T.

(8) DL: McDonald, Williams, Smith, Carradine, Dial, TJE, Dobbs, Dorsey
Dorsey heads to IR - Designated To Return On Tuesday and some cut/FA will be brought back/in. I don't think Dobbs was worth 1.4 mil to be the 7th DL. When Dorsey gets back TJE or Dobbs will be gone. I hope we draft an upgrade over those 2 in the next draft.

(4) OLB: Brooks, Skuta, Lemonier, Lynch
As well as Skuta played last year I bet it was tough to keep him with us being able to save 1.5 mil by cutting him. If Aldon wasn't suspended so long he might have been gone.

(4) ILB: Willis, Wilhoite, Borland, Moody
Moody (possibly Wilhoite) will be gone when Bowman gets back. Wilhoite is a FA after this year will be interesting to see if we re-sign him or go with Moody/Skov if still available or possibly draft someone.

(5) CB: Brock, Culliver, Cox, Cook, Dontae Johnson
Thought there was no way we keep 7 plus Ward who can also play CB. We went from 7 to 5 but I could see Morris being brought back when Dorsey goes to IR in 3 days. I would rather have kept 6 CB's than 7 DL (after Dorsey to IR)

(5) S: Reid, Bethea, Dahl, Ward (CB/S), McCray
Dahl will be cut after this year no way we pay him 1.933 mil next year. We can cut him and save 1.7 mil with only 233k in dead money. He better restructure if he wants any chance at sticking on next year but even then he still might get cut.

(3) ST: Dawson, Lee, Nelson
Pretty surprised at McDermott being cut but I guess they said Nelson is the better coverage guy and he can also play TE in a pinch.

Suspended: Aldon Smith
Holdout: Alex Boone
PUP: NaVorro Bowman, Garrett Celek, Kaleb Ramsey
NFI: Marcus Lattimore, Trey Millard, Keith Reaser, Brandon Thomas
IR: Kendall Hunter, Chuck Jacobs, Kenneth Acker, Will Tukuafu

Final Thoughts: The roster will look a lot different as we:
1. Bring someone in when Dorsey goes to IR in 3 days (I'd bring back Morris or an outside cut player)
2. Bring some vets back (Osgood?) after week 1 where we don't have to guarantee their salary and we can possibly save some money.
3. See Boone, Bowman, Lattimore, Smith, Dorsey, Celek and Ramsey possibly come back, this will be an entirely different team by the end of the season. Wish we had all those guys now but it might be a blessing in disguise if we can get 1, 2 or 3 young guys to show their stuff and prove to be part future starters or solid backups.

Nice breakdown, Gore_21

Originally posted by Gore_21:
53 Man Roster Post Cuts With Thoughts:
24 Offense - 26 Defense - 3 ST
(3) QB: Kaepernick, Gabbert, Johnson
I think the plan was to have Gabbert play well and be the #2 and Johnson would have been cut. Then Harbaugh would have looked for a young waiver wire guy to work with. Since neither stood out and proved to be reliable we kept both.

(4) RB: Gore, Hyde, James, Miller
Hopefully Winston makes it to the PS and stays there all year. Would love to give him a shot next year. James made it but could be gone when Lattimore is back. If he makes it through the year he will have to restructure or get cut because no way we pay him 1.042 mil next year when we can cut him and only have 213k in dead money. This is his last year most likely so forget about re-signing him after 2015, he wouldn't re-sign with us anyways.

(3) TE: Davis, McDonald, Carrier
Depending on how Carrier is doing Celek could replace him once he gets back after week 6 (PUP). Celek is a FA after this year though so maybe they want Carrier to be that guy. I think we could draft an upgrade over those two instead.

(6) WR: Crabtree, Boldin, Johnson, Lloyd, Ellington, Patton
I expect Osgood to be brought back after week 1 and probably at a smaller cost while allowing us to pay him week by week and not have the entire thing guaranteed.

(8) OL: Staley, Iupati, Kilgore, Looney, Davis, J.Martin, Dillon Farrell, M. Martin
Martin 3rd T/2nd G, Farrell 2nd C/3rd G, Looney 2nd or 3rd C as well - - I think Farrell is gone when M. Martin is healthy or when Boone is back. I think we chose Farrell over Seymour who can play C/G/T because Farrell probably was the better backup C and that's what we needed over backup G/T.

(8) DL: McDonald, Williams, Smith, Carradine, Dial, TJE, Dobbs, Dorsey
Dorsey heads to IR - Designated To Return On Tuesday and some cut/FA will be brought back/in. I don't think Dobbs was worth 1.4 mil to be the 7th DL. When Dorsey gets back TJE or Dobbs will be gone. I hope we draft an upgrade over those 2 in the next draft.

(4) OLB: Brooks, Skuta, Lemonier, Lynch
As well as Skuta played last year I bet it was tough to keep him with us being able to save 1.5 mil by cutting him. If Aldon wasn't suspended so long he might have been gone.

(4) ILB: Willis, Wilhoite, Borland, Moody
Moody (possibly Wilhoite) will be gone when Bowman gets back. Wilhoite is a FA after this year will be interesting to see if we re-sign him or go with Moody/Skov if still available or possibly draft someone.

(5) CB: Brock, Culliver, Cox, Cook, Dontae Johnson
Thought there was no way we keep 7 plus Ward who can also play CB. We went from 7 to 5 but I could see Morris being brought back when Dorsey goes to IR in 3 days. I would rather have kept 6 CB's than 7 DL (after Dorsey to IR)

(5) S: Reid, Bethea, Dahl, Ward (CB/S), McCray
Dahl will be cut after this year no way we pay him 1.933 mil next year. We can cut him and save 1.7 mil with only 233k in dead money. He better restructure if he wants any chance at sticking on next year but even then he still might get cut.

(3) ST: Dawson, Lee, Nelson
Pretty surprised at McDermott being cut but I guess they said Nelson is the better coverage guy and he can also play TE in a pinch.

Suspended: Aldon Smith
Holdout: Alex Boone
PUP: NaVorro Bowman, Garrett Celek, Kaleb Ramsey
NFI: Marcus Lattimore, Trey Millard, Keith Reaser, Brandon Thomas
IR: Kendall Hunter, Chuck Jacobs, Kenneth Acker, Will Tukuafu

Final Thoughts: The roster will look a lot different as we:
1. Bring someone in when Dorsey goes to IR in 3 days (I'd bring back Morris or an outside cut player)
2. Bring some vets back (Osgood?) after week 1 where we don't have to guarantee their salary and we can possibly save some money.
3. See Boone, Bowman, Lattimore, Smith, Dorsey, Celek and Ramsey possibly come back, this will be an entirely different team by the end of the season. Wish we had all those guys now but it might be a blessing in disguise if we can get 1, 2 or 3 young guys to show their stuff and prove to be part future starters or solid backups.

QB's - I don't disagree with that. But "I don't have facts to back this up", I honestly think that Gabbert's play was kind of a surprise to the coaching staff. I don't think they expected that he'd play so poorly. I think they thought that he'd beat out J. Johnson - lord knows they gave him every opportunity to - and that J. Johnson's play made it very hard for them to rely totally on Gabbert.

RB's - Totally agree. I think Winston will be back on our PS. When Lattimore suites up, and he plays well, I wouldn't be surprised to see LMJ shopped. In any event I don't expect LMJ back after this season.


TE - I honestly thought that Carrier would get cut. My thinking was that keeping Tukuafu as a backup to Miller then later place Tukuafu on IR with a mysterious injury when one of our other guys returned from the PUP/NFI/suspension. After all, we have have no adequate FB behind Miller.

WR - Was wrong here too. I didn't think we'd keep 6 WR's. Didn't think, and still don't think we needed 6. There's only one QB and one ball on the field. C. Kaep won't be able to please everyone. And I just don't envision us going to a wide open offense. While I'm sure we'll use 5 wide more often it won't be a stamp of our offensive identity. So for me keeping 6 is a near waste. But they don't pay me the big bucks so time will tell. In JH I trust.

OL - Agreed. And I still won't believe that Boone will hold out into the season. I expect him back in a week.

DL - I'm still shocked that Dobbs made it. I don't see him staying the whole season. When our PUP/NFI guys return he will be among the guys on the periphery who'll get the ax.

OLB - Bottom line, when Aldon returns say to Skuta.

ILB - Agreed, but my money is on Moody being the odd man out when Bowman returns.

CB - Never thought we'd keep 7. Plus I predicted Morris and Cox would be cut.

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:
OLB - Bottom line, when Aldon returns say to Skuta.

Why?

First, we should ALL give a huge shout-out to the following for fighting back hard from severe injuries, making the most of their chances and/or (re)dedicating themselves to this team and the current roles they now play. Some of these guys were considered jokes when first joining our club: Josh Johnson, Derek Carrier, Brandon Lloyd, Jonathan Martin, Joe Looney, Dillon Farrell, Ian Williams, Tank Carradine, Quinton Dial, Michael Wilhoite, Aaron Lynch, Chris Borland, Chris Culliver, Chris Cook, Perrish Cox, Dontae Johnson, James McCray & Kyle Nelson.

QB (2)
Colin Kaepernick
Josh Johnson

We kept (3): Colin Kaepernick, Josh Johnson & Blaine Gabbert
What this means: Let's face it, the training camp/preseason project failed and we bit the bullet BUT we also did the right thing and picked up Johnson's additional $570K (see below). Johnson will now be the #2 and Gabbert can now relax and continue to work and face his demons. He's a decent #3 but there is no way around this; this move hurt us financially and chewed up a roster spot for a cheaper promising youngster. Is a restructure in the works for both/either?

Rationale: Baalke trusted Harbaugh on this one and this costly mistake failed, unfortunately. And while Blaine Gabbert had one decent game on nothing but 3-step drops against a 2nd and 3rd team defense, he was putrid in everything else including the intermediate passing game and that so happens to be our entire passing game at the moment. We will owe Gabbert $2,011,587 and we'll lose a 6th rounder. To keep Johnson, clearly, the better player, he'll cost an additional $570,000. So is the team willing to eat $2,581,547 in cap space to let Gabbert walk (save a roster spot) and keep Johnson? Will they keep both? Perhaps one of them is more willing to sign a 3-year, cheap contract? But the bottom line is, if you are an objective fan or coach or GM, if CK goes down, Johnson is your man. Period. He fits our offensive system/playbook better (similar to CK), is completely fluent in our system, isn't mentally scarred and is probably willing to sit behind CK for the remainder of his career without ever complaining; plus he gets along with Harbaugh very well and that's important. Another thing that is vitally important is the fact that Johnson is mobile and better moving in and out of the pocket and making plays with his legs and while on the run (Q-formation, Pistol, roll-outs, etc). If you've ever watched our pass protection, this is a critical skill set to have! He's also a much better intermediate-range passer.

RB (3)
Frank Gore
Carlos Hyde
Glenn Winston

We kept (3): Frank Gore, Carlos Hyde & LaMichael James
What this means: This move means they have a lot of confidence in Winston making the PS OR in Lattimore's knee over the next 8 weeks or so. We are spending a ton of money (see below) on James to be a 3rd down back who doesn't have a skillset to pick up short yardage esp. in goal line situations.

Rationale: The loss of Kendall Hunter to I.R. is a heartbreaker for a variety of reasons but you know he'll be back as strong as ever. That left the door wide open for LaMichael James to be our everything-3rd down back and ST ace...until...Bruce Ellington happened. He's a guy who looked x5 better than James in return duties and has been running routes out of the backfield this preseason as well. James isn't a short yardage or power back and we rarely design plays for a RB not-named Bruce Miller soooo...LaMichael James is cut, saving the team $691,718 in cap space this year with $213,436 in dead money and $842,577/$213,436 next year. Marcus Lattimore is officially on the N.F.I. list again so we turn our Hunter/James-snaps over to another under-the-radar find by Baalke to, Glenn Winston (6'1" 220). The guy is a very large back but he plays as quick and fast as Hunter and possesses the instincts to pick up those critical 3rd and shorts or 3rd and goal carries but also adds size and power and the ability to run off tackle and inside the G's making him less predicatable to the defense...he can also catch and will be force-fed pass protection and blitz pick-up assignments. And carrying only 3 RB's means we can keep an extra OL, DL or ST ace.

FB (1)
Bruce Miller

We kept (1): Bruce Miller
What this means: It means he's the best FB in the NFL bar none and he'll continue to be a silent MVP for us and now with Carrier, may be able to focus more on just lead blocking.

Rationale: Derek Carrier is the new H-back and can double as a FB should Miller go down.

TE (3)
Vernon Davis
Vance McDonald
Derek Carrier (H-Back)

We kept (3): Vernon Davis, Vance McDonald & Derek Carrier
What this means: What this means is that we were right about Carrier and he's truly, our new H-back and that's exciting b/c this guy doesn't drop anything...ever. It also signifies we'll still be using a third TE a lot.

Rationale: Derek Carrier is finally getting recognition from the fanbase and he makes the team in the old Delanie Walker, H-back role. I've already seen him crack-block down in the Ravens game the same way Walker made a name for himself against Suh in Detroit. Celek is on I.R. and an extra OT can be that extra inline blocker as needed like how we used Kilgore in this fashion last year in the jumbo packages. The bottom line is the guy catches everything, is a utility weapon and gives us insurance at both TE and FB.

WR (6)
Michael Crabtree (X)
Anquan Boldin (Z)
Stevie Johnson (Y)
Bruce Ellington (Y & P/KR)
Quinton Patton (X,Y,Z)
Kassim Osgood (ST/WR)

We kept (6): Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Brandon Lloyd, Stevie Johnson, Bruce Ellington & Quinton Patton
What this means: What this means is that Lloyd may have outright won the third WR spot over Johnson and as a result, we may actually be seeing the first signs of more 3 and 4-WR sets with Patton most likely inactive. It also means we may be confident we'll get Osgood back…again...if needed.

Rationale: At the end of the day, in this offensive philosophy, who is going to see more snaps...the #4 WR or the #1 ST gunner? Osgood is a down-it-at-the-1 machine and he's made plays at WR this preseason as well. We used him as an emergency WR last year and he did well. And the bottom line is, this team NEEDS to develop both Patton and Ellington and Ellington needs to be active d/t his return duties and he has clearly earned the #4 WR spot IMHO over Patton b/c he can be a utility WR and a dynamic returner and is much more physical in run blocking. He also has a legit chance to push to become the #3. Therefore, with his age, injuries, his inability to block and be physical down the field or his lack of desire to give 100% effort on every ball that isn't perfectly thrown, Lloyd doesn't make the team but we keep him on speed dial. Lloyd is a finesse player playing in a non-finesse division trying out for a non-finesse offense and he needed to beat out SJ for the #3 to make this team b/c he offers nothing on ST. He's also been hurt most preseason and cutting him would save $1,005,000 with no dead money. There is always the chance of cutting him and bring him back at a cheaper price and non-guaranteed contract and perhaps, at the expense of Okoye or another who we can then move to the PS (under the radar).

OT (3)
Joe Staley (LT)
Anthony Davis (RT)
Jonathan Martin (Swing-T)

We kept (3): Joe Staley, Anthony Davis & Jonathan Martin
What this means: This serves as a reminder never to listen to NT "haters." Well done, Martin, well done!

Rationale: Jonathan Martin has ended this battle with authority. He is the clear swing-T and is playing outstanding at RT right now. He is playing at a level where we wouldn't even need to rush Anthony Davis back and I'm not even joking on that comment! It also means Snyder is finally off this roster.

OG (3)
Mike Iupati (LG)
Joe Looney (RG)
Ryan Seymour (C/G/T)

We kept (2): Mike Iupati & Joe Looney
What this means: This means we're a bit skinny at G but I also doubt it means Boone is coming back any time soon either. So I'm a bit concerned about the depth here (esp. with Iupati playing so poorly). I thought for sure we'd retain Seymour b/c he is the much better version of Snyder. This means the team, for now, has faith in Farrell to also start at G if needed (while mastering the C position behind Kilgore until Marcus Martin comes back).

Rationale: Boone who? The good news is that Looney and Martin have locked down the right side of the OL and they have gotten better each game. Kilgore and Looney have played next to each other for 3 years now and the chemistry shows. The bad news is that the left side of the OL looks very poor with Iupati so far. Even Staley had issues with the Chargers DL and Kilgore has been hit-or-miss (although he's gotten better each game). And a big "Thank you!" goes out to the SeaHawks for releasing Seymour last year of whom Baalke picked up and who now is making the team as the newer, cheaper and much better version of Snyder. His original two positions were C & G and this preseason he has played RT and RG and has looked very good. He's our new Swiss-Army-Knife on the OL and he can be used as an exra blocker in jumbo packages. PS: Seattle, can we have B.J. Daniels back now? Cutting Synder this year, we'd save $1,050,000 towards the cap and we'd only owe $250,000 in dead money.

C (2/3)
Daniel Kilgore
Marcus Martin
Dillon Farrell

We kept (2/3): Daniel Kilgore & Dillon Farrell (Marcus Martin)
What this means: It means we just got younger, cheaper and have some real insurance at C. This was a ballsy move and I credit the FO on this one, big time! With Martin's injury, he could be placed on I.R. with designation for return opening up a roster spot for someone like Morris, Osgood, Seymour, etc.

Rationale: Well, this injury to Marcus Martin just blows everything up, doesn't it? The 49ers can either keep Martin on the 53-man roster until he's healthy (give up that roster spot); use the injured reserve/designated-for-return tag on him instead of NT Glenn Dorsey (possible); or put him on season-ending injured reserve and give his spot to Dillon Farrell. We'll most likely keep him on the roster and he keeps that spot until fully healthy. Now we turn our attention to Kilgore's backup in UDFA Dillon Farrell. Farrell had been getting some quiet praise this preseason but nobody considered him a realistic shot to make the 53 d/t Kilgore and Martin. But now, he will. Farrell, Seymour and Looney all provide backup abilities at C should there be any injuries to Kilgore.

DE (5)
Justin Smith (RDE)
Ray McDonald (LDE)
'Tank' Carradine (RDE)
Quinton Dial (LDE & NT)
Lawrence Okoye (RDE)

We kept (5): Justin Smith, Ray McDonald, Tank Carradine, Quinton Dial & Demarcus Dobbs
What this means: This means Okoye's injury didn't give him the chance to build on the momentum of game 1 and now we're guaranteed to owe Dobbs $1,431,000. Ouch. And this is for a DE that will now, most likely, be inactive thanks to Tank and Dial. This was not a good move to me but it was "safe." Okoye could wind up on the PS for one more year of development.

Rationale: Dobbs played very well last year and keeping only 3 RB's could mean we add Dobbs here instead of a ST WR or another OL. But Okoye's raw ability and vast improvement at DE and his ability to play on ST coverage units (wedge buster) gets him a shot at the 53 this year (probably not the active 46 though). Even if we do keep Dobbs over Okoye, who's oft-injured, he's going to be inactive most likely anyhow so you might as well keep the cheaper player with the most upside. Both have been nicked up so far and it's been harder to assess Okoye's full abilities but he's flashed, no doubt. Cutting Dobbs would save the team a whopping $1,431,000 in cap space with zero dead money! We could also consider trying to move Okoye to the PS and retaining Skuta but he counts $1,500,000 towards the cap with only $150,000 in dead money.

NT (2/3)
Ian Williams
Tony-Jerod Eddie (DE & NT)

We kept (2/3): Ian Williams & Tony Jerod-Eddie (Glenn Dorsey)
What this means: This means we're about to have another roster spot open for someone…like Morris, Osgood, Seymour, etc.

Rationale: Ian Williams is back and healthy and appears to be playing with confidence. He's still battling through recovery some and Dial (who's been tearing up preseason esp. at LDE) and a versatile, TJE (DE & NT) will continue to get additional reps at NT as well. Ideally, Williams comes back full strength and reclaims the starting NT spot and we rotate in Dial and TJE effectively. Dial can now go back to focusing mostly on LDE which is his more natural spot. Health is a concern here, no doubt. If this team gets abused inside again, we do have the personnel to switch to a 4-man DL at any time and clog up that middle with inside pass rushers such as Tank and Williams or beef with Williams and Dial/TJE. Our #1 weakness is against the run facing power running teams.

OLB (4)
Ahmad Brooks (SAM)
Aldon Smith (WILL)
Corey Lemonier (WILL)
Aaron Lynch (SAM)

We kept (4): Ahmad Brooks, Dan Skuta, Corey Lemonier & Aaron Lynch (Aldon Smith)
What this means: Skuta counts $1.5M against the cap but with the 9-game suspension coming down the pike for Aldon, make no mistake about it, this was an insurance move. It also signifies another rotating WILL spot with Skuta and Lemonier and that the coaches don't quite feel Lemonier is an every-down OLB quite yet. Lynch is finally going to give Brooks some much needed rest with little drop off.

Rationale: With Carradine in the fold and Lemonier looking to "arrow up" in year 2, Lynch is going to add another dimension of pass rush ability from the SAM and depth on an epic rotating front 7. Aldon's suspension may keep Lynch active for a while. But by keeping him inactive most of the year, he'll be able to diet, work out, study and refine his game. I doubt Baalke wants to risk putting him on the PS. When/if active, like Aldon and Lemonier before him, he'll only be worked in on some pass rush downs giving Brooks a break. He'll may also be a candidate for ST. The way he anchors, pushes up field and seals the edge, flows down the line, throws off blockers and with his size, power, relentless pass rush, etc. he looks like an Ahmad Brooks clone to me...but bigger (6'5" 273 pounds)! One surprise cut here may be Dan Skuta who's played very well for us and is an excellent ST as well. Have we even seen him this preseason though? Cutting him would save the team $1,500,000 in cap space with only $150,000 in dead money. There are options to keep him (move Okoye to the PS) but this could be the surprise cut of the 53.

ILB (4)
Patrick Willis (MIKE)
Michael Wilhoite (TED)
Chris Borland (TED)
Nick Moody (MIKE)

We kept (4): Patrick Willis, Michael Wilhoite, Chris Borland & Nick Moody
What this means: It means they are who we thought they were! Borland and Moody will be ST aces.

Rationale: When Bowman makes it back to full strength, there is going to be a tough cut somewhere. Blake Costanzo has been put on I.R. and then subsequently, cut. He's replaced by both Borland and Moody who are excellent ST players as well and both can play ILB at a much higher level. Moody could fit in here and play a key hybrid S/LB role on passing downs in the nickle should the team go down that road. Skov should head to the PS and Borland has played well thus far but will not threaten Wilhoite at this stage Borlan will be an ace on ST coverage units making up for the loss of Costanzo and other ST-only coverage players (i.e. Ventrone, Spillman, Dahl, etc.).

CB (7)
Chris Culliver (RCB)
Tramaine Brock (LCB)
Perrish Cox (#4 Slot/Nickle/Dime/ST)(Backs up Brock)
Chris Cook (#5 Nickle/Dime)(Backs up Culliver)
Darryl Morris (#1 Slot/ST)(Backs up Ward)
Dontae Johnson (Backs up both Brock/Culliver)
Kenneth Acker (Backs up both Brock/Culliver)

We kept (5/6): Chris Culliver, Tramaine Brock, Chris Cook, Perrish Cox & Dontae Johnson (Kenneth Acker)
What this means: Another genius move to get Acker on I.R. There was no way we were going to let him get away. Cox has come a mile from literally, getting cut late last year. He seems to be another late-bloomer in the Brock-mold. Welcome back Culliver and the only sad thing here was losing Morris…for now; fingers crossed!

Rationale: It's safe to say we've gotten much deeeper, younger, faster, taller, more athletic and certainly more aggressive/physical. We carried 10 DB's in the NFCCG. Here, we carry 11 total d/t the growth/play of Johnson & Acker and Baalke learning from the Cooper-saga last year. Baalke/Donatell/Fangio appear to want to play more press-coverage with a single-high safety (Reid) and keep Bethea in and around the box in run support. We can expect both press and off-coverage with Brock and Culliver while being backed up by Cook and Johnson (both players have added our off-coverage schemes to their primary skill set, press-coverage). Morris is pushing Ward hard for the slot-role but also stays on as a #2 ST gunner and is now getting exclusive work as an outside CB (like Cox) and looks great (INT). Cox makes the team as a slot and outside CB and is our second returner on kick offs next to Ellington. In addition, Acker is just too good of a prospect to let walk (ala Cooper). The two gunners on ST will be Morris and Osgood backed by McCray (who's been our #1 all preseason).

S (4)
Eric Reid (FS)
Antoine Bethea (SS)
Jimmie Ward (#3 Nickle/Dime/Slot/FS)
L.J. McCray (SS)

We kept (5): Eric Reid, Antoine Bethea, Jimmie Ward, Craig Dahl & James McCray
What this means: Like Gabbert, Dahl's contract just killed the cap and a roster spot. The positive side is that McCray is our new ST gunner and he's a real SS with huge upside. I knew he'd make it from day 1 and I couldn't be happier for him and this FO recognizing this. With Acker and now McCray, this FO learned from last year (see also, Cooper, Marcus)!

Rationale: Cutting Dahl would save the team $685,000 in cap space this year but we'd still owe him $598,333 in dead money. Cutting Spillman would save the team $1,250,000 in cap space and we'd only owe him $308,334 in dead money. Dahl's contract is poor and he'd most likely have to stay on the roster because of it but we'd cut him next year prior to June 1 for sure as we would save $1,700,000 towards cap space then and we'd only owe $233,334 in dead money. But for MY roster, he absolutely blows as a player and I want the best players on this team. Cutting Raymond Ventrone would also save the team $855,000 in cap space this year with zero dead money. Every penny counts now and that's a lot of savings right there! McCray is just too good of a player and a pure SS who can also play the slot and he's received praise from Fangio (think about that for a second). His arrow continues to point way up. I've been watching him closely this preseason and he's been our #1 gunner too (first one down the field every time). In short, he's going to replace Spillman/Ventrone/Dahl. Ward will continue to learn and grow into the backup S position as well. We go a bit thin here to start the year but don't be surprised if another CB is learning the S position in the background as well in the interim.

ST (3)
Phil Dawson
Andy Lee
Kevin McDermott

We kept (3): Phil Dawson, Andy Lee & Kyle Nelson
What this means: Well, honestly, I didn't see this one coming. Nelson is 27 years old (3 years older than McDermott). I'm not sure what this signifies…that he'll be our LS, actually play some TE as an extra blocker, he provides better coverage after he snaps? McDermott being cut saves the team $439K with $3,334 in dead money…but Nelson actually costs more @ $570K and he would have had no dead money. So this is a bit of a

Overall: I'm very pleased with this roster and the moves the FO made save for a few safer, more expensive veteran moves (esp. for those who also add very little to the field at the expense of younger, better players IMHO) BUT, you can understand each move for the most part. We're taking some chances and playing with only $1.985M in cap space (ideal is $5M). AB highlights additional information here: http://www.ninersnation.com/2014/8/29/6084515/aldon-smith-suspension-navorro-bowman-injury-49ers-salary-cap

There's a good chance Winston makes it to the PS and we bring him up later in the year and cut James. With the I.R. designation for return, we could also bring back Seymour, Morris or Osgood. We also have to remember, that between week 6 and 9, we may be bringing back a lot of critical reserve players so some of these fringe-players may be a moot point! The bottom line is, this is a VERY deep roster and I haven't even included the list of players that we're expecting to contribute next year (currently on I.R.).

Originally posted by NCommand:
What this means: What this means is that were right about Carrier and he's truly, our new H-back and that's exciting b/c this guy doesn't drop any balls. It also signifies we'll still be using a third TE a lot.

Rationale: Derek Carrier is finally getting recognition from the fanbase and he makes the team in the old Delanie Walker, H-back role. I've already seen him crack-block down in the Ravens game the same way Walker made a name for himself against Suh in Detroit. Celek is on I.R. and an extra OT can be that extra inline blocker as needed like how we used Kilgore in this fashion last year in the jumbo packages. The bottom line is the guy catches everything, is a utility weapon and gives us insurance at both TE and FB.

This is getting ahead ourselves and is really hypothetical, but where do you see Trey Millard fitting in next year? Most of the scouting reports seem to suggest that he's a hybrid/H-back. Sounds like he was a very exciting player in college with the upside to be a solid role player in the NFL. Suppose Carrier is decent this year and Millard comes back strong and flashes some playmaking explosiveness in training camp: do you see Millard and Carrier battling for a roster spot next season with each other? i.e. are they redundant?

Originally posted by theduke85:

Originally posted by NCommand:
What this means: What this means is that were right about Carrier and he's truly, our new H-back and that's exciting b/c this guy doesn't drop any balls. It also signifies we'll still be using a third TE a lot.

Rationale:

Derek Carrier is finally getting recognition from the fanbase and he makes the team in the old Delanie Walker, H-back role. I've already seen him crack-block down in the Ravens game the same way Walker made a name for himself against Suh in Detroit. Celek is on I.R. and an extra OT can be that extra inline blocker as needed like how we used Kilgore in this fashion last year in the jumbo packages. The bottom line is the guy catches everything, is a utility weapon and gives us insurance at both TE and FB.

This is getting ahead ourselves and is really hypothetical, but where do you see Trey Millard fitting in next year? Most of the scouting reports seem to suggest that he's a hybrid/H-back. Sounds like he was a very exciting player in college with the upside to be a solid role player in the NFL. Suppose Carrier is decent this year and Millard comes back strong and flashes some playmaking explosiveness in training camp: do you see Millard and Carrier battling for a roster spot next season with each other? i.e. are they redundant?

Oh absolutely! That Carrier-Millard battle is going to be epic next year for sure!

Originally posted by SofaKing:

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:
OLB - Bottom line, when Aldon returns say to Skuta.

Why?

Won't happen anyway, no cap savings, his deal is guaranteed now that he made the 53-man roster as a vested veteran.