By admin 
The San Francisco 49ers’ initial roster is set.
There were no major surprises after the team made its final cuts, paring the roster down to 53 players days ahead of the flight to Melbourne, Australia, for Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.
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The team reportedly made a trade at a position of need, cut 33 players, added four to injured reserve and placed two players on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.
Here’s a look at the first iteration of the roster.
Quarterback (3): Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, Kurtis Rourke
Cut: Adrian Martinez
There was some question about whether Rourke’s preseason rib injury would impact his status, but signs are pointing to a short-term injury. The team believes Rourke can become a long-term backup to Purdy, with Jones in the final year of his contract.
Running back (4): Christian McCaffrey, Kaelon Black, Jordan James, Kyle Juszczyk (fullback)
Cut: Khalil Herbert, Sincere McCormick
Reserve/PUP: Isaac Guerendo (pectoral)
Black and James give the 49ers the best backups McCaffrey has had since coming to San Francisco in 2022. The question becomes: Is Kyle Shanahan serious about lessening McCaffrey’s workload and getting Black and/or James on the field for more snaps?
Tight end (4): George Kittle, Jake Tonges, Luke Farrell, Brayden Willis
Cut: Khalil Dinkins, Hayden Rucci
Willis had a strong camp as a pass catcher and will need to contribute on special teams if he’s active on game day. There was some question about whether the 49ers would keep four tight ends, but Willis’ value on special teams gives him a leg up over keeping more players at other positions, such as the offensive and defensive lines. All signs point to George Kittle pushing to play in Week 1 after tearing his Achilles in January.
Receiver (6): Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, De’Zhaun Stribling, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins
Cut: KhaDeral Hodge, Trenton Irwin, Malik Turner, Wesley Grimes, Will Pauling
Injured reserve: Christian Kirk (calf)
Cowing and Watkins both made it, though either could be unseated by Kirk when he’s eligible to return from the calf injury he suffered during the offseason program and aggravated on the first day of training camp. Evans dealt with quadriceps and groin injuries throughout camp, but Shanahan indicated he’ll be back at practice this week to prepare for Week 1.
Offensive line (8): Trent Williams, Carver Willis, Jake Brendel, Dominic Puni, Colton McKivitz, Vederian Lowe, Enrique Cruz Jr., Connor Colby
Traded for: Jarrett Patterson, TexansTraded for: Jarrett Patterson, Texans Cut: Robert Jones, Doug Kramer Jr., Brandon Parker Injured reserve: Austen Pleasants (knee)*, Brett Toth, Nick Zakelj *Designated to return
It remains unclear who will start at left guard after training camp and three preseason games. It could be Patterson, who has started 21 of 39 games for Houston after being drafted in the sixth round in 2023. Otherwise, Willis received the most work with the starters late in camp, while Colby fell down the depth chart after working with the starters early in training camp. Pleasants might be in the mix when he’s eligible to return from his injury after four games.
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Defensive line (9): Nick Bosa, Osa Odighizuwa, Alfred Collins, C.J. West, Keion White, Sam Okuayinonu, James Thompson Jr., Gracen Halton, Romello Height
Cut: Quinton Bell, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Evan Anderson, Bryson Eason, Viliami Fehoko Jr., Jah Joyner, Sebastian Valdez
Reserve/PUP: Mykel Williams (knee)
Thompson is the only undrafted rookie to crack the roster after an impressive training camp and preseason. He was noticeably more productive than Collins and West. Collins, in particular, had a rough August in practice and during exhibition games after having offseason shoulder surgery. But it’s fair to wonder if his recent play is a blip on the radar or a sign of things to come. Otherwise, San Francisco’s pass rush, which ranked last in the NFL in sacks last season, has four newcomers, not including the return of Bosa and Williams from the ACL tears they suffered last season.
Linebacker (7): Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Jaden Dugger, Garrett Wallow, Tatum Bethune, Nick Martin, Luke Gifford
Cut: Deion Jones, Jalen Graham, Larry Worth III
Linebacker is one of the team’s deepest positions in both quality and numbers. Wallow appears to have surpassed Bethune as the No. 2 middle linebacker, while Dugger figures to play prominently as a rookie. Gifford is back despite being injured during most of training camp after making the Pro Bowl as a special-teams player last year. Martin has been out since the second preseason game with a hamstring injury; his roster spot might be used for another move later on.
Cornerback (6): Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout, Jack Jones, Ephesians Prysock, Nate Hobbs
Cut: Eli Apple, Darrell Luter Jr., Jakob Robinson
Hobbs was banged up throughout training camp, making it a mild surprise that he made the team. He could be insurance in the slot for Stout and is versatile enough to play safety in a pinch. He’s a candidate for injured reserve with a return designation. Otherwise, the other five have been locks since early in training camp.
Safety (4): Ji’Ayir Brown, Malik Mustapha, Marques Sigle, Siran Neal
Cut: Ashtyn Davis, Patrick McMorris, Jalen Stroman
Neal was used at cornerback late in training camp and the preseason and played well there. But he made the roster for his work on special teams. Mustapha missed all of camp and the preseason with a hamstring injury, which might have cost him a starting job.
Specialists (1): Eddy Pineiro
Cut: Jon Weeks, Corliss Waitman
The 49ers will bring back Weeks and Waitman once they put two players on injured reserve (possibly Martin, Gifford, Hobbs, Cowing or Lowe). That could happen as soon as Monday. The 49ers went that route because they didn’t want to subject two players to waivers, where they could lose them, rather than wait for them to recover from injuries that could sideline them only until early in the season.
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