The 49ers’ 53-man roster is set. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have settled on the group they believe can deliver success in Trey Lance’s first season as the starting quarterback.
In true Shanahan fashion, the initial 53-man group has some surprises, the most significant being the decision to retain the services of Jimmy Garoppolo as the No. 2 quarterback.
Beyond that bet on the 49ers’ team chemistry, there were several other unexpected decisions that will not provoke the same level of reaction but could have more of an influence on the direction of the Niners this season.
Let’s examine those roster choices in a look at six key takeaways from cutdown day for San Francisco.
Niners feel Purdy good about Brock
Nothing will top Monday’s stunning revelation that Garoppolo would be staying with the 49ers as Lance’s backup, but the fact rookie seventh-round pick Brock Purdy also gained a place on the 53 also raised plenty of eyebrows.
Purdy enjoyed an impressive preseason in which he looked comfortable despite consistently having to deal with poor pass protection from backup offensive linemen. He delivered the ball decisively and was not afraid to take ambitious shots downfield.
Yet it was tough to envision Purdy or Nate Sudfeld remaining on the roster once the Garoppolo news broke. The fact Purdy achieved that feat is a clear indicator that the 49ers believe he can be a long-term backup once Garoppolo heads for pastures new next year.
Shanahan said Purdy would have been Lance’s backup had the Garoppolo deal not come to fruition. By keeping the final pick in the 2022 draft on the active roster, they get to keep him on his rookie deal, rather than having to re-sign the former Iowa State star to a new contract to put him on the practice squad.
After this season the 49ers will still have another three years of Purdy on a cheap contract, and it seems they are pretty excited about that prospect.
Run-game insurance aplenty
Having five running backs on a 53-man roster – six if you count fullback Kyle Juszczyk – is the most stereotypically Kyle Shanahan thing Shanahan has ever done.
San Francisco kept starter Elijah Mitchell, Jeff Wilson Jr, third-round rookie Tyrion Davis-Price, last year’s third-round pick Trey Sermon and undrafted rookie Jordan Mason on the active roster, giving the 49ers a plethora of options they can deploy as part of their frequently devastating ground attack.
Having that many backs may seem superfluous, particularly when the 49ers also have a wide receiver in Deebo Samuel who has incentives in his contract tied to him maintaining his outstanding rushing production of 2021.
But in a year where the Niners may run the ball at an even higher rate following the switch to a quarterback of Lance’s dual-threat abilities, insurance at a position where San Francisco has frequently suffered injuries is critical.
Mitchell was limited to 11 games last season and Wilson has consistently been bitten by the injury bug. It is unlikely that Sermon or Mason – who enjoyed an extremely strong preseason – would have cleared waivers and made it to the San Francisco practice squad, so keeping them on the active roster was the simplest way to ensure the 49ers are heavily protected against injuries to their top-two backs and might not have lean so heavily on Samuel this time if Mitchell and Wilson are simultaneously sidelined.
Kroft gets nod over sixth receiver
Though he was not named on the initial 53, tight end Tyler Kroft has agreed a deal to return to the team once safety Jimmie Ward and linebacker Curtis Robinson are placed on injured reserve.
That means the 49ers will carry four tight ends rather than six receivers, which is something of a surprise since many had expected WR Malik Turner to make the roster as the sixth and final wideout.
However, the 49ers run 22 personnel more often than they go five wide, and that will continue to be the case with Lance under center. Even when the Niners do go five wide, tight end George Kittle is almost certain to be on the field.
Unless the 49ers felt Turner was going to be a valuable addition on special teams, there would have been little point carrying a sixth receiver. TE Ross Dwelley, who made the cut, has special teams experience from last year, while Kroft’s prospective return gives them another weapon they can get out into a route from two-tight end looks where Kittle or Charlie Woerner serve as the blocking tight end.
Having a sixth wideout would not have added any more complexity to the San Francisco offense. The retention of another receiving tight end in Kroft hints at a season in which Shanahan will look to throw more out of heavier personnel groupings to give defenses more to contend with in 2022.
Versatility the key on offensive line
Among the second and third-string offensive linemen, it was undrafted free agent guard Jason Poe who caught the eye as a smaller, athletic guard who frequently played above his size.
But Poe’s performances were not enough to earn him a place on the active roster. Instead, sixth-round pick Nick Zakelj was an unexpected name on the 53.
Zakelj improved as training camp went on and produced a quietly impressive display amid the chaos on the 49er O-Line in the preseason finale against the Texans.
Able to play center and tackle as well as guard, Zakelj’s multiplicity will likely have been a critical factor in him securing a spot, and that is a continuation of a theme up front for San Francisco.
Daniel Brunskill has experience at every spot on the line, right guard Spencer Burford played tackle in college, and Colton McKivitz has played both tackle positions and guard, as has Jaylon Moore. Make no mistake, the 49ers want continuity among the starters on the O-Line, but the ability to plug any gap is what they value in reserves.
Turay the odd-man out
The 49ers, who also agreed a deal to re-sign Jordan Willis when Ward and Robinson transfer to IR, will be 10 deep on the defensive line in 2022. However, edge rusher Kemoko Turay, signed in the offseason after recording 5.5 sacks in 2021 for the Colts, will not be part of the rotation.
Turay had appeared an astute signing by San Francisco and flashed consistently against the run in the preseason, yet he clearly did not do enough to convince the 49ers he was worth carrying on the active roster.
Instead, the Niners elected to stick with eight players who have already played extensively on their defense, along with second-round rookie Drake Jackson and free agent interior line signing Hassan Ridgeway.
Why did Turay miss out? A lack of inside-out versatility could be one reason. Charles Omenihu and Kerry Hyder Jr. both have the ability to rush from the edge and the interior, whereas Turay is almost exclusively an edge player.
Additionally, excellent performances from Jackson and Willis against the Minnesota Vikings and then from Samson Ebukam in the defeat to the Texans may have made a path to regular snaps for Turay look unlikely, perhaps dissuading the 49ers from going 11 deep on the D-line.
Turay’s omission was a shock, but it’s not one many are likely to remember if the D-line continues on its upward trajectory with this ultra-talented group.
Where's the safety depth?
With Ward set for injured reserve, the 49ers are right now set to carry just three safeties on the active roster, a bizarre and alarming lack of depth at a position that is becoming increasingly important in the modern NFL.
Either Tarvarius Moore or George Odum will start next to Talanoa Hufanga at safety in Week 1. While the dearth of options may not bite them in a road game with the Bears, the 49ers could soon be on thin ice if any of that trio – none of whom have established themselves as starter-level safeties – suffer an injury early in the season.
The 49ers do have the option of potentially bringing back Jaquiski Tartt after he was cut by the Eagles. In terms of in-house options, Dontae Johnson – who can play every position in the secondary – and Tashaun Gipson could provide depth from the practice squad after they were both let go on cutdown day. One or both of them could wind up signing with the practice squad and joining the active roster on game days.
Still, the lack of importance the Niners appear to be attaching to the safety spot is not in keeping with the rest of the league, and is made all the more strange given they are a team overseen by a Hall of Fame player at the position.
San Francisco is extremely well stocked in most areas of the roster, but, they are walking a tightrope at safety.
