The San Francisco 49ers wrapped up the "training camp" portion of the 2015 preseason, and will now open their preseason schedule against the Houston Texans. The team has four preseason games to play, all of which will contribute to the determination of the 53-man roster. Some players are already locked in, others are on the bubble, and some are longshots.
Trent Baalke likely knows what most of the 53-man roster will look like a month from now, but I have to imagine there are several roster spots up for grabs. The four games of the preseason will allow bubble players to climb into or out of the roster, and locks to shuffle around the depth chart.
We'll have a 53-man roster projection each week leading up to final roster cuts in early September. Back in mid-June we had one for a week after minicamp concluded. Now that we have two weeks of training camp under our belt, several aspects of that projection have changed. We know some players are injured, and at least two seem more and more likely to open the season on an injured list. This projection factors in those two injuries, and assumes the other players get healthy between now and final roster cuts.
There are plenty of questions on this roster. Do they only go with five wide receivers? It seems like Jerome Simpson is having a solid camp, but if DeAndrew White earns a roster spot, is Simpson out of luck?
Do they only go with five cornerbacks? And whether they go with five or more cornerbacks, will they look for more veteran experience with a Marcus Cromartie or Leon McFadden? Some of these projections are shots in the dark until we see what the preseason depth chart really looks like on Saturday.
I included Michael Wilhoite and Philip Wheeler, but both are sitting out right now with muscle strains. Wilhoite is on the NFI list, so it is certainly possible he could open the season on the list. There has been no update on his condition, so his status remains unknown. I really wanted to find a way to get Shayne Skov on the roster, but I am just not seeing the numbers right now. I am of course open to any and all suggestions!
QB (2): Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert
RB (4): Carlos Hyde, Reggie Bush, Kendall Hunter, Mike Davis
FB (1): Bruce Miller
WR (5): Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith, Bruce Ellington, Quinton Patton, DeAndrew White
TE (4): Vernon Davis, Vance McDonald, Blake Bell, Derek Carrier
OT (3): Joe Staley, Erik Pears, Trenton Brown
OG (3): Alex Boone, Marcus Martin, Brandon Thomas
C (2): Joe Looney, Dillon Farrell
DT (7): Darnell Dockett, Glenn Dorsey, Ian Williams, Quinton Dial, Tank Carradine,Tony Jerod-Eddie, Arik Armstead
OLB (4): Aaron Lynch, Ahmad Brooks, Eli Harold, Corey Lemonier
ILB (4): NaVorro Bowman, Michael Wilhoite, Philip Wheeler, Nick Moody
CB (5): Tramaine Brock, Shareece Wright, Dontae Johnson, Kenneth Acker, Keith Reaser
FS (3): Eric Reid, Craig Dahl, Jimmie Ward
SS (3): Antoine Bethea, Jaquiski Tartt, L.J. McCray
P (1): Bradley Pinion
K (1): Phil Dawson
LS (1): Kyle Nelson
Reserve/PUP: Daniel Kilgore
Reserve/NFI: DeAndre Smelter