The 49ers cut down their initial roster to 53 players Tuesday afternoon, with more surprises than expected. Below is what the initial 53-man roster looks like:
49ers initial roster
QB (3): Brock Purdy, Brandon Allen, Josh Dobbs
RB (4): Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason, Patrick Taylor Jr., Isaac Guerendo FB (1): Kyle Juszczyk
TE (2): George Kittle, Jake Tonges
WR (7): Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell
OL (8): Jaylon Moore, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, Colton McKivitz, Spencer Burford, Nick Zakelj, Jon Feliciano
DL (9): Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos, Kevin Givens, Jordan Elliott, Robert Beal Jr., Sam Okuayinonu
LB (6): Fred Warner, De'Vondre Campbell, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Dee Winters, Tatum Bethune, Curtis Robinson
CB (6): Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Isaac Yiadom, Renardo Green, Darrell Luter Jr., Ambry Thomas
S (4): Ji'Ayir Brown, George Odum, Malik Mustapha, Talanoa Hufanga Specialists
(3): K Jake Moody, P Mitch Wishnowsky, LS Taybor Pepper
Roster cuts
The following players have been released, per the 49ers:
Pos. Name
OL Ben Bartch
WR Robbie Chosen
OL Chris Hubbard
DL T.Y. McGill Jr.
OL Brandon Parker
TE Eric Saubert
WR Trent Taylor
TE Logan Thomas
S Tracy Walker III
DL Nick Williams
CB Rock Ya-Sin
The following players have been waived:
Pos. Name
OL Isaac Alarcon
DL Evan Anderson
DL Alex Barrett
DL Shakel Brown
DL Jonathan Garvin
LB Jalen Graham
WR Danny Gray
OL Sebastian Gutierrez
OL Jarrett Kingston
TE Cameron Latu
CB Chase Lucas
S Jaylen Mahoney
WR Tay Martin
QB Tanner Mordecai
OL Drake Nugent
TE Mason Pline
RB Cody Schrader
TE Brayden Willis
CB Samuel Womack III
Additionally, Elijah Mitchell and Kalia Davis were placed on injured reserve, and can return later in the season. So, what should you make of all this?
Two tight ends
Jake Tonges played incredibly well in camp, and deserved a roster spot. But keeping two tight ends is a pretty big surprise for San Francisco. Eric Saubert had a very solid camp himself and is an impressive blocker. Brayden Willis and Cam Latu are too unreliable and found themselves cut. At some point, Saubert or someone else will be back in the fold.
IR moves (and more to come)
Elijah Mitchell's season is over. That's perhaps the biggest surprise of the 49ers' roster decisions.
Only two players who are placed on injured reserve on cutdown day can return later in the year, per new rules, but San Francisco did not elect to do that with Mitchell. They did so, instead, with Kalia Davis.
The 49ers have at least two more players they may want to put on injured reserve. Jon Feliciano is out for roughly the first half of the season and Ambry Thomas was a surprise addition at all on the roster given the improved secondary the 49ers have. He made it over Rock Ya-Sin, who looked solid and could be back on the practice squad or active roster.
Both Feliciano and Thomas could end up on injured reserve and return later in the season, opening a spot for either Ya-Sin, a tight end, or someone else. As a reminder, Trent Williams is still on the reserve/did not report list, so a roster spot will eventually have to be used to accommodate him... if a deal ever gets done.
Seven wide receivers + and extra RB
Clearly, the 49ers are concerned about Brandon Aiyuk's contract situation and the fact he hasn't practiced. They would not have kept seven wide receivers otherwise, and Ronnie Bell is the clear beneficiary in that regard despite an inconsistent camp.
Patrick Taylor Jr. was one of the surprising additions to the roster. He didn't star at camp, but the 49ers clearly like what they have in him, and he could be used as a special teamer with Jordan Mason in the RB2 role. With Mitchell out, his addition makes a little bit of sense.
Hufanga activated
It was dubious whether the 49ers would activate Talanoa Hufanga. He hasn't practiced and it seems unlikely he'll be ready to go for Week 1. Still, they obviously believe he will be ready before Week 5, and keeping him on the physically unable to perform list would have meant he would have been out until then. The safety spot could be very intriguing next to Ji'Ayir Brown as the season progresses.
Odd man in on D-line and odd man out at LB
The 49ers kept Sam Okuayinonu (Oh-kwah-noo) as a perhaps surprising addition. That said, he showed really solid flashes in camp as someone with a high motor, who flashed in both the pass and run game. With injuries to Yetur Gross-Matos and Leonard Floyd, the 49ers needed another body, at least for the time being, and Okuayinonu earned the right to be that.
Jalen Graham found himself the odd man out in the linebacker room. That was difficult to predict. He's bruising, but made some mistakes, while Curtis Robinson surged, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles remains a reliable special-teamer, and Tatum Bethune showed a few flashes after being drafted. If Graham isn't claimed, he'll be on the practice squad. The margins of his cut had to be tiny.