Fooch's note: This was posted before Jordan Devey was named starting right guard.
The San Francisco 49ers cut down their roster on Monday, reaching the 75-man maximum 24 hours in advance of the deadline. They will face the San Diego Chargers on Thursday to wrap up the preseason, and that will be followed by final roster cuts by Saturday afternoon.
With that in mind, it is time to once again break down the 49ers bubble watch. I have put together a list of players I view as locks, strong bubble, weak bubble and longshots. I have removed a couple players due to specific issues. Jerome Simpson is not listed because he will open the season on the Reserve/Suspended list. Ahmad Brooks is not listed because his situation remains unresolved. If he is not placed on the Commissioner's Exempt list between now and the start of the season, I think he will be on the roster and inactive. But his status remains a question mark for non-football reasons.
The strong and weak bubble are something I have gone with because not all bubble players are equal. Some have a strong case, some have a weaker case. There are currently 40 players listed as locks, 15 as strong bubble, nine as weak bubble and nine as longshots.
On this listing, Quinton Patton and Kendall Hunter were two of the tough ones to figure out. It seems like the 49ers are giving Patton every possible opportunity to get that third receiver role. He has been underwhelming in the preseason, but we also know the passing game as a whole has struggled. It is hard to nail that down entirely. Hunter made it through the first round of roster cuts, and I wonder if that means he will stick around. I say that because I could have seen the 49ers releasing him to give him a shot with another team. Maybe that means he has a strong shot at the roster? I just don't know.
In looking at the strong bubble, some of the positions are an either/or type of thing. I could see Tony Jerod-Eddie making the 49ers roster, and I could see Mike Purcell making the roster. However, I would be very surprised if both made the roster.
Beyond that, what do you think? Where am I off with the roster locks, bubble guys and longshots?
Lock
QB: Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert
RB: Carlos Hyde, Reggie Bush, Mike Davis
FB: Bruce Miller
TE: Vernon Davis, Vance McDonald, Blake Bell
WR: Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith, Bruce Ellington
OL: Joe Staley, Alex Boone, Joe Looney, Marcus Martin, Brandon Thomas, Erik Pears
DL: Glenn Dorsey, Quinton Dial, Ian Williams, Darnell Dockett, Arik Armstead, Tank Carradine
OLB: Aaron Lynch, Eli Harold
ILB: NaVorro Bowman, Michael Wilhoite, Nick Moody
CB: Tramaine Brock, Dontae Johnson, Keith Reaser, Kenneth Acker
FS: Eric Reid, Antoine Bethea, Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt
P: Bradley Pinion
K: Phil Dawson
LS: Kyle Nelson
Strong Bubble
RB: Jarryd Hayne
TE: Garrett Celek
WR: Quinton Patton
OL: Trent Brown, Ian Silberman, Dillon Farrell
DL: Tony Jerod-Eddie, Mike Purcell
OLB: Corey Lemonier
ILB: Shayne Skov, Philip Wheeler, Nick Bellore
CB: Shareece Wright
S: Craig Dahl, L.J. McCray
Weak Bubble
RB: Kendall Hunter
TE: Busta Anderson
WR: DeAndrew White
OL: Andrew Tiller, Jordan Devey
DL: Kaleb Ramsey
OLB: Marcus Rush
CB: Leon McFadden, Marcus Cromartie
Longshot
QB: Dylan Thompson
RB: Kendall Gaskins
TE: Xavier Grimble
WR: Issac Blakeney, DiAndre Campbell
OL: Patrick Miller, Justin Renfrow
DL: Garrison Smith
S: Jermaine Whitehead