National Football League

49ers 53-man roster projection: It's officially Brock Purdy’s team now

Published Aug. 28, 2023 1:39 p.m. ET

The San Francisco 49ers started the purge of this year's roster by trading one former No. 3 overall pick, third-string quarterback Trey Lance, to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round selection last Friday.

The move reduces the quarterback room to three players, unquestioned starter Brock Purdy, along with backups Sam Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, and Brandon Allen. The 49ers also released CB Nate Brooks, DL La'Darius Hamilton, DL Breeland Speaks, LB Kyahva Tezino and DL Spencer Waege over the weekend.

The 49ers must be down to 53 by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. San Francisco has a roster built to compete and win the Super Bowl this season, but staying healthy and finding depth at key positions like the defensive line and secondary will be critical to the team's success.

Here's a look at how we see the Niners' final roster heading into Tuesday.

Quarterback (3)
Brock Purdy
Sam Darnold
Brandon Allen

The 49ers finished without a healthy quarterback in last season's NFC Championship Game, which served as an impetus for the NFL to create an emergency third quarterback rule. San Francisco takes advantage of the new rule by keeping Allen. Purdy appears fully healthy from offseason elbow surgery.

Running back (5)
Christian McCaffrey
Elijah Mitchell
Jordan Mason
Tyrion Davis-Price
Kyle Juszczyk (FB)

This group is one of the many strengths of San Francisco's roster, with perhaps the best running back in the NFL in McCaffrey. Mitchell gives the 49ers a starting-caliber running back as McCaffrey's backup. And both Mason and Davis-Price flashed during training camp.

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Wide Receiver (6)
Deebo Samuel
Brandon Aiyuk
Jauan Jennings
Danny Gray
Ray-Ray McCloud
Ronnie Bell

Samuel and Aiyuk combine to give San Francisco the best receiving tandem in the NFC West. McCloud (wrist) and Gray (shoulder) are injured and could wind up on injured reserve to start the year, while Bell appears to have earned a spot on the roster with his performance during preseason play.

Tight end (3)
George Kittle
Ross Dwelley
Charlie Woerner

Rookie Cameron Latu had trouble with drops during preseason play. Even though he's a third-round pick, Latu also needs surgery to fix a meniscus issue with his knee, putting his availability in question. Brayden Willis and Troy Fumagalli are candidates for the practice squad.

Offensive line (9)
Trent Williams
Aaron Banks
Jake Brendel
Spencer Burford
Colton McKivitz
Jon Feliciano
Jaylon Moore
Matt Pryor
Nick Zakelj

Even though he's 35 years old, Williams remains one of the best left tackles in the NFL and the anchor of this offensive line. Colton McKivitz is penciled in to replace Mike McGlinchey at right tackle. After five years with San Francisco, McGlinchey signed with the Denver Broncos in free agency. Burford takes over as the full-time starter at right guard with Daniel Brunskill joining the Tennessee Titans during the offseason.

49ers QB Brock Purdy's rise and Trey Lance's fall

Defensive line (9)
Nick Bosa
Arik Armstead
Javon Hargrave
Drake Jackson
Javon Kinlaw
Kevin Givens
Clelin Ferrell
Austin Bryant
Kerry Hyder Jr.

Hargrave's signing gives San Francisco a formidable front four defensively. If Bosa continues his holdout past Tuesday, he will be placed on the reserve/did not report list and the 49ers could add another defensive lineman to the active roster until the Ohio State product signs. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said this group has the most quality depth on a roster that he's been around.

[Williams: Will Niners DE Nick Bosa become NFL's highest-paid defensive player?]

Linebacker (6)
Fred Warner
Dre Greenlaw
Oren Burks
Jalen Graham
Dee Winters
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles

Warner and Greenlaw play fast and physical at the second level for San Francisco. Both also are sure tacklers, making it tough for opposing offenses to create chunk plays in the middle of the field. Burks is a core special teams player and projected to start according to the team's unofficial depth chart. However, he's dealing with a knee injury, making his availability a question mark.

Defensive backs (9)
Charvarius Ward (CB)
Deommodore Lenoir (CB)
Samuel Womack III (CB)
Ambry Thomas (CB)
Isaiah Oliver (CB)
Talanoa Hufanga (S)
Tashaun Gipson Sr. (S)
Ji'Ayir Brown (S)
George Odum (S)

Oliver is penciled in as the team's slot defender but had an uneven performance during training camp. San Francisco could look for a more consistent option during final roster cuts. Brown, a third-round selection out of Penn State, showed playmaking ability during training camp.

Specialists (3)
Jake Moody (K)
Mitch Wishnowsky (P)
Taybor Pepper (LS)

Moody, San Francisco's third-round selection in this year draft, suffered a quad strain in the final preseason game. The team's second kicker in camp, Zane Gonzalez, has calf strain and is expected to miss a few weeks. The 49ers could look to bring in a third kicker for the season opener if neither player can get healthy by Sept. 10.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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