QB: CJ Beathard
RB: Jeff Wilson
TE: Kaden Smith, Ross Dwelley, Levine Toilolo, Niles Paul, Tyree Mayfield, Garrett Celek
WR: Kendrick Bourne, Jordan Matthews, Richie James
OL: Justin Skule, Josh Garnett, Ross Reynolds, Wesley Johnson, Ben Garland, Shonn Coleman
DL: Kentavius Street, Sheldon Day, Julian Taylor
LB: Malcolm Smith, Elijah Lee, LaRoy Reynolds
CB: Tim Harris, Greg Mabin, Emmanuel Moseley
S: Adrian Colbert, Antone Exum
Most Probable Trade Chips: CJ Beathard, Kendrick Bourne, Joshua Garnett
I thought about putting Mullens in here as a shocker because it would not completely floor more if the 49ers got some offer they couldn't refuse for him, but after several QBs were taken in the draft or already traded for, it seems unlikely that there would be any sort of a market for QB like Mullens. More likely, a team looking to fortify its backup spot for dirt cheap and with a player possessing starting experience, could look at Beathard as an option. By my count, at least a fourth of the league or more could upgrade their backup QB situation right now.
Bourne has the versatility to play both outside receiver positions, can play on coverage units, and is on an upward trajectory statistically entering this season. The team however spent two picks on outside receivers and signed another. Bourne may not have scintillating upside in terms of athletic gifts, but it's not impossible he could turn into a solid #2 somewhere else over the course of the next 2 seasons as he continues to learn and grow.
Garnett is a guy who has shown talent in glimpses but can't seem to stay healthy. That said, many teams are often willing to take a chance on someone like this for cheap, such as a swap for one of their own disappointments, a 2021 7th, or even 2022 7th rounder. Garnett isn't totally out of the question to stick, but his chances look bleaker and bleaker the more time he misses with frustrating ailments.
Toughest Cuts/Losses by Position: DL, WR, CB
Reports out of camp so far indicate players on the DL and in the secondary are really shining (everyone on the DL bubble listed above, as well as Moseley in the secondary). Could Day be the odd man out like he was in Jacksonville when he simply was a "numbers game" cut on their stacked D-line? I feel like that's a strong possibility, considering he was inactive the last 4 games of the 2018 season. Moseley was a late season call-up last year who had shined in the pre-season and just had terrible luck getting hurt on his first STs play of the game in the regular season. He's an ideal backup at the slot CB position, and with Reed moving outside, it seems like his chances of making the roster have increased. At the same time, both Reed and Jimmie Ward's ability to play the slot position could factor in at final cuts. At WR, if Bourne keeps pace with his trend of yearly improvement, he would be hard to cut. Matthews has struggled so far in camp with some rough reps against DJ Reed and rookie Tim Harris. James, on the other hand brings value in the slot as well as special teams and has done well so far. Who do you keep?
Prediction: Potential Player Swap(s) at the Final Cut Deadline
It's pretty obvious the one area we have the most uncertainty in, and that's the OL. It would not shock me at all to see us attempt to flip our surplus in one area to potentially fortify the OL if there's anyone available via trade. Flashback to last year when we added Shonn Coleman, for example. Linebacker might be another area they look at as well, depending how the pre-season goes.
[ Edited by OnTheClock on Jul 31, 2019 at 8:51 AM ]