The 49ers on Friday evening will wrap up their preseason at Levi’s Stadium against the Los Angeles Chargers.
While the quarterback news has dominated the headlines leading into the preseason finale, there are still some other things the 49ers have to figure out before finalizing its initial 53-man roster.
Setting aside the QBs for a bit, we ran through San Francisco’s offseason roster and picked out eight players who could play their way onto the 53-man with a strong outing Friday night vs. Los Angeles:
DL Javon Kinlaw
All signs pointed toward Kinlaw lining up a bounce-back year. He was healthy all offseason and did okay in the preseason opener. Then he missed the second preseason game with an illness. All Kinlaw really has to do is suit up and play vs. the Chargers. If he misses another game and the reliability he’s been missing the last couple years starts to crop up again, the 49ers may have a hard time keeping him on the roster. However, if he does play and has an even average night he should be a shoo-in for a spot in the DL rotation.
TE Cameron Latu
It was a rough go for Latu through the middle of camp and into the first preseason game when drops were a problem and he fumbled his only catch of the preseason opener. He bounced back in his second preseason outing though with three catches for 46 yards and a touchdown. It’s clear he has the size and strength to hold up as a blocker, now he just has to be more reliable as a receiver. A solid game for the 2023 third-round pick should be enough to get him a roster spot in a crowded TE room.
LB Dee Winters
There’s a lot to sort out in the 49ers LB room, and the team may wind up needing to choose between youth or experience. Winters has looked the part of an NFL linebacker in his first camp and two preseason games. So has his fellow 2023 draft pick Jalen Graham. It looks like Graham has already secured a roster spot. A strong outing from Winters where he racks up a few tackles, plays good coverage and maybe generates a turnover may just lock up a roster spot for him too.
CB Ambry Thomas
Thomas has put together a nice camp and preseason. A couple of issues arose in the second preseason game, including a bad jump on a double move that would’ve led to a touchdown had rookie safety Ji’Ayir Brown not chased the receiver down. Simply playing mistake-free should be enough to get Thomas a roster spot. If he shows out and plays really well against the Chargers, it might earn him a regular role in the secondary.
CB D'Shawn Jamison
Jamison could make things very interesting for the 49ers if he has a good night against the Chargers. He’s been good enough that San Francisco might not be able to risk him getting claimed off waivers. That could either put him up over Thomas, or it could force San Francisco to keep six cornerbacks and trim the roster elsewhere since good CB depth is very hard to find. It’s particularly hard to find with an undrafted rookie on a cheap deal. Jamison also showed some juice as a kick returner which may help his cause while kick returner Ray-Ray McCloud is out with a wrist injury.
OL Nick Zakelj
The preseason opener didn’t go great for Zakelj, who is still transitioning to guard after playing offensive tackle in college. He bounced back with a better game against Denver. If he really struggles against the Chargers though he might have a tough time finding room on the roster while the team carves out a spot or two at other positions. However, the 49ers don’t have a ton of depth on the offensive front, so if Zakelj can put together another good game it would do a lot for his chances at making the team as a reserve on the offensive line.
DL T.Y. McGill
There are a handful of defensive linemen on the roster bubble. McGill has the advantage of having played nine games for San Francisco last year and doing a nice job as a rotational piece. He came up with a sack against Denver that showed his explosiveness in the middle of the defensive line. If he puts together another good game in the finale it might not only lock up his roster spot, but earn him a significant role on the D-line.
DL Kerry Hyder
This is an interesting one because Hyder hasn’t had a great camp or preseason, but he has a ton of experience under defensive line coach Kris Kocurek and he has the versatility to play on the edge or at defensive tackle. Trust in a player from the coaching staff can go a long toward that player earning a roster spot. Hyder could secure it with a good game against the Chargers. A pressure or two off the edge to show he can help out that relatively thin group would be a nice late addition to his offseason resumé.
