It was quite a successful 2023 season for the San Francisco 49ers, representing the NFC in the Super Bowl but coming up short. With the offense humming right along with Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, and Brandon Aiyuk leading the way, this team looks to continue its reign as the best NFC team in 2024.
San Francisco’s preseason slate sees the team face the Titans, Saints, and Raiders before their regular season kicks off on September 9th against the New York Jets. But before we get to the games that matter, which players will need to produce in the preseason to make the final roster?
Trent Taylor
After playing his first four NFL seasons as a member of the 49ers, Trent Taylor made stops in Cincinnati and Chicago over the past three seasons. The 2024 offseason brought Taylor back to the Bay, but his second stint with San Francisco may end earlier than expected.
There is plenty of depth at wide receiver, even with the uncertainty surrounding Brandon Aiyuk’s contract extension. While Trent Taylor has plenty of NFL experience, he hasn’t recorded a snap percentage above 30 percent since 2018, per Spotrac.
A big part of what Trent Taylor brings to the table is his special teams experience, as he looks to be factoring into the punt return depth chart. However, that might not be enough to keep him in the running to make the final roster, barring a surprising preseason performance.
Patrick Taylor
The former Packers running back signed with the 49ers this offseason, factoring into the running back depth behind Christian McCaffrey. Having factored into Green Bay’s game plan as a pass-catching option, Patrick Taylor recorded 49 touches in his busiest professional season of his three-year career.
But it boils down to a numbers game in the running back room, and Taylor would need to do a ton to make the final roster. With McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, fourth rounder Isaac Guerendo, and undrafted free agent Cody Schrader all in play, Taylor may be the odd man out.
McCaffrey, Mitchell, and Mason have their roster spots locked up, and Guerendo’s draft capital would make it tough to move on from him. Schrader was handed over $230k in guaranteed money to sign with San Francisco, while Taylor signed for no guaranteed money this offseason.
Even though Patrick Taylor has been a good special teams coverage member and third down back, he likely will need to put up a really solid preseason to make the team.
Rock Ya-Sin
The final player on our roster bubble list is on the defensive side of the ball, as the fifth-year veteran Rock Ya-Sin joined the 49ers via a one-year deal this offseason. Having bounced around the league, making stops with the Colts, Raiders, and Ravens, Ya-Sin finds himself on the roster bubble in the San Francisco secondary.
Joining a really strong secondary group gives Ya-Sin a tough roster to crack, and they look to be pretty deep already. Nine cornerbacks and seven safeties currently comprise the defensive secondary group in camp, so a few roster cuts will likely come from this room.
With teams likely keeping six or seven cornerbacks, Ya-Sin is on the fringe of the roster, likely factoring into that CB6/CB7 group. CBs like Deommodore Lenoir, Charvarius Ward, Ambry Thomas, and rookie Renardo Green all have their spots locked up, so Ya-Sin is competing with Samuel Womack, Darrell Luter Jr., and Chase Lucas for one of the final spots.
Which players do you think need big preseason performances to make the 53-man roster for the 49ers? Will there be any surprises for players left off the roster?
Follow Us
Subscribe