T
he NFL preseason is finally over. Four weeks and many training camp practices later, all 32 teams are shifting focus and getting ready for Week One of the regular season. For each and every franchise, the goal is simple– be the team to hoist the Lombardi Trophy come February. But before teams can begin preparing for the start of the season, they must first make cuts in order to trim the roster down to 53 players.
For the San Francisco 49ers, they face a lot of tough decisions regarding their roster. While there are a lot of guys who have cemented their place on the team, there are plenty of others who are on the bubble and could be on the outside looking in. On Aug. 24, 49ers beat reporter Matt Maiocco gave his prediction on what the 53-man roster could look like for San Francisco to start things off.
Maiocco’s Prediction
Maiocco’s prediction does not have a lot of surprises, but given how NFL rosters constantly change, some of the players in the initial prediction may not be on the team for the whole season. Below is what Maiocco thinks the first 53-man roster of the season will look like:
Quarterback (2)
*Non-football injury — Kurtis Rourke (knee)
Running back (5)
Wide receiver (5)
IR – Jacob Cowing
PUP — Brandon Aiyuk (knee)
Suspension — Demarcus Robinson
Tight end (4)
Offensive line (9)
IR – Isaiah Prince
Suspension – Isaac Alarcon
Defensive line (9)
PUP — Yetur Gross-Matos (knee)
IR — Kevin Givens (pectoral)
Linebacker (6)
Cornerback (5)
IR – Jakob Robinson
Safety (4)
Ji’Ayir Brown
PUP – Malik Mustapha (knee)
Special teams (3)
LS Jon Weeks
Kyle Shanahan Comments Postgame
After the 49ers’ win over the Los Angeles Chargers, head coach Kyle Shanahan talked about the decision making that goes into deciding the 53-man roster and said while it is very difficult, he makes sure to tell the players that were left off that they could earn a spot down the line. Injuries, inconsistent play and other factors lead to constant roster changes throughout the 17 game season.
“You spend all this time to figure out your 53, but it’s like I tell our players, the final 53 is never the final 53,” Shanahan said. “That’s just the first week of the season. It changes throughout the year. There’s still a lot to work on. We’ll make those decisions on Tuesday, but we’re not going to stop making them as the year goes.”
Teams have until Aug. 26 at 4 p.m. eastern to decide on their 53-man rosters ahead of Week One. Once the 49ers finalize their initial roster, they will lock in and be hard at work on preparing for a road matchup with the Seattle Seahawks to kick off the 2025 campaign.
49ers 53-Man Roster Prediction After the Final Preseason Game