The San Francisco 49ers wrapped up minicamp last week, and return for training camp in just over five weeks. The roster appears to be just about set, so with that in mind, it is time to re-visit the bubble watch. The offseason workout program does not lock in most roster spots, and that is even more the case this season with a new coaching staff and front office.
Over the next two weeks, we’re going to take a look at each position, and what the bubble watch looks like. As we’ve done for many years now, the bubble watch breaks down to lock, strong bubble, weak bubble, and longshot. For some positions, we'll have multiple players listed at strong bubble, even though not all are likely to make the roster. But the idea is that they both stand a good shot, even if it is just one of them. Additionally, this does not reflect whether or not a player will be traded. Trades can and probably will happen during training camp, but the positioning on this focuses on whether or not they’d be cut.
Today, we move on to the wide receiver position.
Lock: Pierre Garçon, Marquise Goodwin, Jeremy Kerley, Trent Taylor
Strong Bubble: Bruce Ellington, Aldrick Robinson
Weak Bubble: Victor Bolden, Kendrick Bourne, Aaron Burbridge, DeAndre Carter, B.J. Johnson, DeAndre Smelter
Longshot: None
I imagine plenty will disagree with the lack of long-shots on this list. I suppose most of those players might be viewed as long-shots, but this position is a tough one to figure out. We know with near certainty that Garçon, Goodwin, and Kerley will be the starting trio of receivers initially. I mentioned yesterday with George Kittle that a fifth round pick is not guaranteed anything, but Trent Taylor is making this roster.
Where it then gets interesting is the remaining two positions. In my post-minicamp roster projection, I had Bourne making the roster over Ellington, but I’m not particularly confident in that. I do think Bourne could make the roster over Ellington, but I think Ellington has the better chance as a potential multi-dimensional option. as for Aldrick Robinson? A two-year contract doesn’t guarantee a roster spot, but his experience in Kyle Shanahan’s offense will be helpful for him.
Given the one or two spots up for grabs in this group, do any of the weak bubble guys jump out at you?