CAPTAIN SANTA CLARA: Training camp is over for the San Francisco 49ers. On Friday, they play the Las Vegas Raiders to wrap out the preseason. They will cut to 53 players on Tuesday and then appoint a 16-man practice squad.
This means that now is a good opportunity to examine the full roster of ninety men. Our Matt Barrows looked through every offensive player on the squad on Wednesday. Here is a list of every defensive player for the 49ers.
Defensive ends
Nick Bosa: This superstar had a poor season last year. Bosa admitted that his extended contract standoff had a detrimental effect on his performance. He was present for the entirety of this training camp and even took part in the 49ers spring program. Bosa’s year is going to be big, based on preparation.
Leonard Floyd: This is a very remarkable run of 108 games played in a row. Training camp’s opening drill demonstrated Floyd’s tenacity. After the first snap, he staggered off, but he was back in the lineup in a matter of minutes and even recorded a potential sack.
Robert Beal Jr. Although Beal, a second-year player, is now roughly 260 pounds, the 49ers were thrilled with his bulked-up build. However, through two preseason games, Beal has not produced. He has only succeeded in one pressure. With his size and speed (he completed a 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds), Beal might still be a perfect special teams player, but the 49ers desperately need productivity from the fourth defensive end position.
Yetur Gross-Matos: During his preseason game against the New Orleans Saints, Gross-Matos displayed an amazing rip move that led to a quarterback hit. With Gross-Matos, the 49ers have been transparent about their goals. First, they want him to play outside to establish the advantage on base drops, then they want him to move inside to rush guards in passing situations.
Yetur Gross-Matos figures to be a flexible piece on the 49ers’ defensive line. (Steve Roberts / USA Today)
Alex Barrett: He has been a member of the practice squad for the most of his time since joining the team in 2019. There is validity to that perseverance. In just two preseason games, Barrett has already racked up six pressures. This is his prime playing time.
Jonathan Garvin: The 257-pound player, selected by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2020 draft, has impressed in his 57 preseason games with the 49ers. It could be that new legs are helping him. Nevertheless, it appears that there is no clear winner for the 49ers’ fourth defensive end job.
Sam Okuayinonu: The 49ers have stacked as many players as possible at the defensive end, where he is another developmental prospect. The team’s 90-man roster includes 16 defensive linemen, with the cutdown approaching the following week.
Defensive tackles
Maliek Collins: The 49ers plan to use him to replace Arik Armstead, who has missed 13 games in the previous two seasons. To improve their run defense, which is ranked No. 26, the 49ers must first address consistency and durability on the inside. Collins, they think, may serve as the cornerstone of that.
Javon Hargrave: Towards the end of the previous campaign, he suffered a hamstring injury. Hargrave claims to be well now. Ideally, the 49ers can strengthen their run defense sufficiently in other areas to allow Hargrave complete freedom to play his specialty. Rushing the passer is what that is.
Jordan Elliott: In ESPN’s run-stop win rate from the previous season, the Cleveland Browns defensive tackle finished sixth overall. Elliott’s unusually broad build should provide the 49ers a fresh perspective when it comes to stopping the run. Ever since D.J. Jones left in free agency after the 2021 season, they have been without a reliable inside defender against the run.
Kevin Givens: The 49ers presently rank him as their fourth tackle, and there are usually only four or five guys available in the game-day rotation. Givens joined the 49ers in 2019 and has one of the longest contracts of any player. They are aware of what to expect from this player who is used occasionally.
Nick Williams: Throughout his NFL career, the 34-year-old has routinely produced snaps. He has two prior stops under 49ers assistant head coach Brandon Staley. At tackle, he provides the 49ers with consistent insulation.
Evan Anderson: The 49ers thought highly enough of the undrafted rookie from Florida Atlantic to give him a sizable $280,000 signing bonus, suggesting they saw him as a potential interior player. Anderson weighs 326 pounds, making him one of the bigger 49ers.
T.Y. McGill: The 31-year-old is expected to contribute experienced depth to the 49ers in 2024, most likely from the practice squad, after providing it during the previous two seasons.
Shakel Brown: During the spring rookie minicamp, he shown remarkable skills during his tryout session, earning a spot on the squad. Brown is a young lineman who is vying with Anderson for a spot in the rotation or, at the at least, a spot on the practice squad so that he can be the next player called upon for action during the regular season.
Shakel Brown: During the spring rookie minicamp, he shown remarkable skills during his tryout session, earning a spot on the squad. Brown is a young lineman who is vying with Anderson for a spot in the rotation or, at the at least, a spot on the practice squad so that he can be the next player called upon for action during the regular season.
Linebackers
Fred Warner: On Wednesday, defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen referred to him as a “machine.” Not much more can be said about the player who is perhaps the best linebacker in football.
Dre Greenlaw: He remains on the physically unable to perform list after the Super Bowl Achilles tear, but Greenlaw has been an active observer at practice recently. He’s champing at the bit to return.
De’Vondre Campbell Sr.: Which version of this 31-year-old linebacker will the 49ers get? Campbell was an All-Pro in 2021, but he allowed the highest passer rating of all qualifying NFL linebackers into his coverage last season. The 49ers don’t expect peak form from Campbell, but something in between those two extremes should suffice when it comes to bridging the gap while Greenlaw is out.
Dee Winters: He’s currently a high-ceiling, low-floor player. Winters made a pair of flash plays to open the preseason but also missed a tackle and was shoddy on at least one assignment in coverage. But explosive potential is shining through here, and that’s great news for the 49ers.
Jalen Graham: Like Winters, he’s an ascending second-year linebacker. Graham still has work to do in coverage, but he steamrolled his way to his powerful sack in Sunday’s game against the Saints.
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles: Can the 49ers’ newer linebackers unseat this special teams stalwart, who’s been with the team since 2019? That won’t be as easy as it may seem. Flannigan-Fowles is established depth for the 49ers and has consistently been one of their top tacklers in the third phase of the game.
Curtis Robinson: The competition at linebacker is intense, but Robinson — who’s entering his fourth season with the team — is making a case to be more than just a special teams contributor. For the first time, he spent the offseason at the facility training with fixtures Warner and Flannigan-Fowles.
Curtis Robinson has long been a reliable special teamer, but can he contribute on defense too? (Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)
Tatum Bethune: The Florida State rookie led the 49ers in tackles during the previous week. Although Bethune was selected in the seventh round due to his lackluster coverage abilities, he is not scared to hit and seems to have strong instincts against the run.
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Cornerbacks
Charvarius Ward: Coming off an All-Pro year, Ward has an opportunity to establish himself as one of the NFL’s best corners going into his contract year.
Deommodore Lenoir: He is a veteran cornerback for the 49ers who is about to enter his contract’s last year. From a fifth-round draft pick in 2021, Lenoir has developed into a potent weapon. He enjoys playing at nickel, which is an important position for this defense, as well as outside.
Isaac Yiadom: In only six months of starting for the Saints last season, he recorded 11 pass breakups. Yiadom gained access to significant playing time with the 49ers as a result, but he has recently lost time due to an ankle ailment. Yiadom is expected to return shortly, and the 49ers plan to use Lenoir inside and man outside cornerback on nickel plays.
Renardo Green: Yiadom might only be a temporary solution. Green, the 49ers’ second-round pick, has been surging. With Yiadom still out, he’s even grabbed first-team snaps on the outside in the nickel package. Like Lenoir, Green is training at both nickel and cornerback — a sign of the 49ers’ belief in his abilities.
Rock Ya-Sin: Too much seasoned depth at cornerback is never a bad thing. The 49ers signed Ya-Sin, 28, for this reason. Under Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, the 49ers have more talented corners than they have ever had.
Darrell Luter Jr.: During camp, Luter demonstrated potential with his large body, and the 49ers will not be able to re-sign all of their veterans. The disastrous punt that bounced off Luter’s leg during the Super Bowl has made him a household name among cornerbacks in his second season. Luter should get a chance to establish himself at cornerback during the course of the next two seasons.
Darrell Luter Jr. may not have a huge role this season but could position himself to be a key piece down the road. (Kyle Terada / USA Today)
Samuel Womack III: Following a scorching 2022 preseason, his reputation has suffered. Although Womack, a fifth-round selection from Toledo, made the roster that season, he has not been able to move up the 49ers’ hierarchy since.
Ambry Thomas: He certainly hasn’t enjoyed the same success as Lenoir, even though he was drafted two rounds earlier in 2021. But the 49ers would still probably like to keep Thomas around the building as veteran depth at an important position. He broke his forearm in the preseason opener, so the team will likely have to do that through the injured reserve list.
Chase Lucas: He projected as a backup nickelback for the 49ers after being a solid gunner for the Detroit Lions the previous season. Has Lucas demonstrated to the 49ers enough as a DB to warrant a spot on the 53-man roster? We find out next week.
Safeties
Talanoa Hufanga: The top safety might be back in the lineup as early as next week after tearing his ACL. Hufanga was recently cleared by doctors to increase his on-field activity.
Ji’Ayir Brown: Brown had comparable abilities in the NFL after being a prolific interception machine in college, picking intercepted ten passes in his final two seasons at Penn State. During his seven starts in the previous season, he had three interceptions, one of which came against Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. Brown had a successful training camp.
George Odum: Odum enjoyed working with the first squad the entire camp while Hufanga was sidelined. He recorded a few hits and, according to Sorensen, made swift corrections to some of his coverage errors. One of the league’s top special teams players, Odum, has shown consistency at safety, so the 49ers will not need to rush Hufanga back for Week 1.
Malik Mustapha: 49ers fans will warm to a rookie if they wear Ronnie Lott’s No. 42 jersey to a game. Thus, too, will always fast-paced, forceful play. Thus far, Mustapha has proven that he deserves playing time in Year 1.
Tayler Hawkins: In his third season with the 49ers, the former collegiate cornerback will be playing safety. Thus far, Hawkins has primarily been a member of the practice squad. He had a number of significant hits while at camp.
Tracy Walker III: To improve depth at this position, the 49ers added the 29-year-old former Lions safety in the middle of camp. However, they are not as thin at the top as they were in 2022, when Tashaun Gipson Sr., a veteran addition, immediately assumed a starting position upon signing.
Jaylen Mahoney: The Vanderbilt rookie who went undrafted has quietly produced two strong preseason performances. His recognition of a tackle that came after a run blitz at the line of scrimmage was excellent. Is he able to remain at the 49ers practice squad building?
(Top photo of Nick Bosa: Matthew Huang / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
