49ers' 53-man roster: Trent Taylor, Ronnie Bell and WR corps are thorny issue (2025)

Joint practices help the San Francisco 49ers make roster decisions.

Brock Purdy edged past Nate Sudfeld on the quarterback depth chart after a pair of scrimmages in Minnesota two years ago. Sam Darnold did the same to Trey Lance last season after joint practices — and a strong preseason outing — in Nevada.

This year? The 49ers won’t have the benefit of a joint session to help them sort out the backup battle between Brandon Allen and Joshua Dobbs. They scuttled plans to scrimmage with the New Orleans Saints because they’ve been hit by so many injuries, and Kyle Shanahan said Monday they wouldn’t try to set up one with the Las Vegas Raiders before the third preseason game.

The competition to be Purdy’s backup isn’t the only roster decision on the line. The 49ers want to see continued growth from rookie Dominick Puni, the presumed front-runner to start at right guard in Week 1, and there are competitions for backup positions at receiver, center, linebacker and cornerback.

How will it play out on cut-down day on Aug. 27? Here’s our first stab at a 53-man projection, including the 16-man practice squad.

Quarterback (3)

Brock Purdy, Brandon Allen, Joshua Dobbs

This prediction would be a lot easier if Dobbs edges out Allen for the No. 2 role. In that scenario, Allen could go to the practice squad and then be called up for emergency duty on game days.

As it stands, however, Allen is Purdy’s top backup. He started Saturday’s game and he’s been taking practice snaps ahead of Dobbs, an indication of the pecking order. Could the 49ers move Dobbs to the practice squad, creating a valuable space on the 53-man roster? They’d have to cut him first, which would be a risk considering his 2023 penchant for moving to one team after another and quickly picking up a new system.

Practice squad: Tanner Mordecai

Running back (5)

Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason, Elijah Mitchell, Cody Schrader, Kyle Juszczyk (fullback)

Position coach Bobby Turner’s reputation for unearthing hidden gems continues with Schrader, who went undrafted in April. He’s been sharp this summer and, even more importantly, he’s avoided the injuries that hit many of his fellow runners.

Practice squad or injury list: Matt Breida, Isaac Guerendo (hamstring)

Wide receiver (6)

Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel Sr., Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell

This exercise assumes Aiyuk remains on the roster on cut-down day, but that’s certainly not a given. And even if he is, it’s hard to see him taking his full allotment of game day snaps — he usually plays all but one or two unless it’s a blowout — early in the season.

That’s why we have Conley making the squad. He’s been the team’s most consistent backup to Aiyuk since the spring. And as he showed in the Super Bowl, he can be very productive on special teams.

Who handles punts? Trent Taylor is the most experienced and sure-handed option. The 49ers could elevate him from the practice squad at the start of the season and then move him to the 53-man roster later depending on injuries and how the rest of the roster shakes out. Shanahan hinted at having Taylor as a practice squad option last month.

“You always like guys like that as possible practice squad players too, because when they have experience and something happens on a Friday or Saturday, the game is never too big for them,” he said. “You can get them up and they don’t blink.”

Practice squad or injury list: Taylor, Danny Gray (shoulder), Jacob Cowing (hamstring)

Tight end (4)

George Kittle, Eric Saubert, Brayden Willis, Cameron Latu

We’re sure about the first three names on this list. The fourth doesn’t inspire the same level of confidence. Still, the 49ers’ offense requires a sturdy, in-line blocking tight end, which is why they drafted Latu in the third round last season. Saubert is a nice, veteran fix for that role this season. But he’s 30 years old and not signed next year. The 49ers might have to give Latu more time to develop.

Practice squad: Jake Tonges, Mason Pline

Offensive line (9)

Trent Williams, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, Colton McKivitz, Jaylon Moore, Spencer Burford, Jon Feliciano, Chris Hubbard

It seems as if Feliciano, Nick Zakelj and Ben Bartch are competing for the same role — someone who can step in if there’s an injury at guard or center. We give the nod to Feliciano because he earned the team’s trust last season. Still, he’s dealt with a knee injury for most of the summer and it’s possible he lands on an injury list to begin the season. This prediction above assumes Williams is off the did-not-report list by roster cut-down day.

Practice squad: Zakelj, Bartch, Jarrett Kingston

Defensive line (8)

Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos, Jordan Elliott, Robert Beal Jr., Kevin Givens

This gives the 49ers perhaps their most talented Alpha and Bravo groups of defensive linemen in the Shanahan-John Lynch era but not a lot of depth behind them. The 49ers expect Kalia Davis (knee) to return at midseason. And they can protect themselves at the position by placing some developmental players on the practice squad.

Practice squad or injury list: Evan Anderson, Shakel Brown, Jonathan Garvin, Davis (knee)

Linebacker (6)

Fred Warner, De’Vondre Campbell Sr., Dee Winters, Jalen Graham, Ezekiel Turner, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles

The linebacker group will get a major reinforcement when Dre Greenlaw is ready to come off the physically unable to perform list. Flannigan-Fowles and Curtis Robinson are battling for the role of veteran backup. The 49ers signed Turner to help shore up their special teams, especially kickoff coverage.

Practice squad: Tatum Bethune, Robinson

Cornerbacks (5)

Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Isaac Yiadom, Renardo Green, Darrell Luter Jr.

This group went down a member when Ambry Thomas broke his arm in Saturday’s preseason opener. But it remains deep with some tough choices to make on cut-down day. In this scenario, Luter makes the 53-man squad over Rock Ya-Sin because he is younger — 24 versus 28 — and because he has value on special teams.

Practice squad: Ya-Sin, Chase Lucas

Safety (4)

Ji’Ayir Brown, Talanoa Hufanga, George Odum, Malik Mustapha

Brown’s only in his second season, but he’s been one of the best and most consistent 49ers since the spring. He’ll anchor the position while Hufanga works his way back from last year’s ACL tear. It’s hard to see anyone supplanting smart, aggressive Mustapha on the 53-man squad. However, the team recently signed veteran Tracy Walker III, raising the question of whether they will keep five safeties as a hedge against Hufanga’s surgically repaired knee. Or perhaps Hufanga starts the season on the PUP list and misses the first four games.

Practice squad: Walker

Specialists (3)

P Mitch Wishnowsky, PK Jake Moody, LS Taybor Pepper

Wishnowsky missed Saturday’s game with knee irritation, allowing Pressley Harvin III to handle punting duties Saturday. Wishnowsky isn’t expected to miss a lot of time, but Harvin might be a good emergency fallback should Wishnowsky, 32, have to sit out a game in the regular season.

(Top photo of Trent Taylor: Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)

Matt Barrows is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the 49ers. He joined The Athletic in 2018 and has covered the 49ers since 2003. He was a reporter with The Sacramento Bee for 19 years, four of them as a Metro reporter. Before that he spent two years in South Carolina with The Hilton Head Island Packet. Follow Matt on Twitter @MattBarrows