The San Francisco 49ers released their Week 1 depth chart on Tuesday, with the PR staff putting it together. We won’t really know the full depth chart until the game starts, but it gives us an opportunity to consider some speculation.
The 49ers will have to determine seven players each week that will be inactive. The inactive list remains kind of ridiculous with the NFL pushing health and safety, but it remains in place. Teams have to be strategic in figuring out how many players at a given position they want active. Maybe it’s an extra offensive lineman, maybe it’s an extra cornerback.
Looking through the 49ers depth chart, here are some names that could find themselves inactive on Sunday:
WR Victor Bolden Jr./Kendrick Bourne - Bolden will depend on how the kick and punt return options are settled. Trent Taylor and Raheem Mostert also have roles on offense, so it makes sense to have them handling the returns. The 49ers seem likely to have five active receivers on Sunday. Bolden has the special teams edge on Bourne.
LB Pita Taumoepenu - He is listed as a SAM backup, but he spent the bulk of the preseason playing as a nickel edge rusher. Right now Dekoda Watson is Eli Harold’s backup. With Arik Armstead, Elvis Dumervil, and Aaron Lynch all available as an edge rusher, I could see Taumoepenu inactive. Of course, if they think Taumoepenu can be a solid emergency option at SAM, it could give him a leg up over Lynch.
S Jimmie Ward - We still don’t know his exact status for Sunday. He returned from the PUP list two weeks ago, but is limited in practice. It seems unlikely he will be active.
DB Adrian Colbert - This one is a tough call because of Jimmie Ward’s health. If Ward is inactive, I think we see Colbert active. If Ward is active, Colbert is likely inactive.
OT Garry Gilliam/John Theus - One of these two offensive linemen will be inactive on Sunday. One will likely serve as the swing tackle, leaving the other likely inactive.
OL Laken Tomlinson - The 49ers acquired Tomlinson in a trade last week. My guess is he eventually supplants Zane Beadles at left guard, but I would be surprised if it happened this first week.
DT Xavier Cooper - A Sunday waivers claim, he will eventually be DeForest Buckner’s backup, but with Solomon Thomas having positional versatility, I think Cooper will be inactive this first week.
The seventh one is a tough one to figure out. Do you deactivate someone like Brock Coyle, who could be a special team regular? Do you deactivate rookie D.J. Jones, leaving you with questionable nose tackle depth behind Earl Mitchell? Who would be your seventh pick?