With training camp almost upon us, the roster looks set for some youth versus experience battles at various key positions.
Where might youth win out? Let's find out.
Finally, training camp is around the corner. and football is about to bless us again with another great season.
Before any of the games can get played, though, there's the usual noise and hubbub of training camp and preseason games to get through, and it can be one of the most intriguing times of the year for any devoted football fan.
In the San Francisco 49ers' case, it's a strange situation, as less roster spots are up for grabs than most teams, given the nature of how the roster has been built, and the fact that the team is very much constructed to take yet another big swing at a Super Bowl win this year.
On the other hand, that does mean that those spots that are available -- probably a rough five to 10 spots at the bottom of the roster -- face heavy competition, which is all the more interesting for us preseason junkies.
One of the storylines surrounding these battles is the experience gap between the players involved. In many cases, there are young and hungry players, from rookies to second-year players looking to push established veterans off the roster.
Let's take a look at some of the more interesting cases of this as training camp looms.
Tanner Mordecai over Brandon Allen/Joshua Dobbs
Of the five possibilities we'll discuss today, this would seem to have the least chance of happening.
The 49ers seem to like quarterback Brandon Allen, hence the decision to keep him around this offseason, whereas free-agent pickup Joshua Dobbs has pretty extensive starting experience across the league.
On the surface, that would seem to mean that Tanner Mordecai, the former Wisconsin signal-caller, has little chance of remaining with San Francisco after signing initially as an undrafted free agent.
Working in Mordecai's favour, though, is the 49ers' history at this position. Whether seeing the likes of Nick Mullens develop and grow into a player that actually started NFL games, or keeping some unknown very late draft pick like Brock Purdy over a league-proven backup like Nate Sudfeld, head coach Kyle Shanahan has consistently shown that if a quarterback does enough in training camp and preseason, he'll find a way to keep him.
The fact that neither Dobbs nor Allen has a long-term deal with the team as backup or third-stringer would also suggest that their spots may be more tenuous than previously thought. One of them seems almost certain to make the roster, but if Mordecai can bring his college accuracy (above 65% in his time across SMU and Wisconsin) and smarts to the table, and grasps the complicated offense quickly, he's got a good shot, especially considering the churn of NFL quarterbacks.
Isaac Guerendo and Cody Schrader over Elijah Mitchell/Jordan Mason
This one starts out as more of a playing time battle than a roster one, since one would expect rookie running back Isaac Guerendo to easily make the roster, given the 49ers traded up in the fourth round of the NFL Draft to get him.
Guerendo's unique speed, not dissimilar to former running back Raheem Mostert, as well as the relative lack of tyre tread from his college career, should easily give him an inside path to the roster.
Outside of him, the undrafted Cody Schrader joins the team with immense hype, particularly having led the SEC in rushing last year. He tested well, athletically, and his production suggests he could at least become an NFL player. The 49ers aren't adverse to keeping UDFA running backs either. He'll be hoping to follow the likes of Jordan Mason, and previously, Jeff Wilson by playing too well, despite his lowly status, to be ignored.
If both Guerendo and Schrader prove to be NFL-capable, then the players who should be extremely concerned, at least about their chances of staying on the 49ers rather than in the NFL, are Mason and Elijah Mitchell.
They're both clearly NFL running backs, but given that Mitchell has missed eight games in the last two years, and Mason is only largely used as a power back, it could be that the possibility to go more cost-effective on the salary cap in what is a seldom-used role behind phenom running back Christian McCaffrey could spell the end for their time in San Francisco.
Evan Anderson over Kevin Givens/Kalia Davis
The final undrafted rookie to examine is defensive lineman Evan Anderson, to whom the 49ers gave a surprisingly large $280,000 guarantee in order to convince him to sign following the draft.
While Anderson joins a very busy and deep defensive tackle room, buttressed by the offseason additions of Jordan Elliott and Maliek Collins, it is still a unit very much in flux following the departure of longtime 49er Arik Armstead in the early days of the offseason.
Pretty much everyone is playing for playing time here, and anyone who can impress likely emerges in the defensive tackle rotation behind the two offseason additions.
Anderson's first job will be to impress against the two closest players to him in terms of skill set, namely Kevin Givens and Kalia Davis. Givens has held a spot on the roster for the last two years, starting 12 games. He hasn't particularly stood out, however, and despite gaining more playing time. has struggled to replicate the run-stopping power of nose tackle DJ Jones, who left the team in 2022 to sign with the Denver Broncos.
The fact that rumors swirled of Jones returning to the San Francisco if cut by the Broncos in the early days of free agency seems to best indicate that.
In Davis' case, he's just simply failed to get on the field. He missed his entire rookie season, and only appeared in three games last season. While the 49ers may still be interested in his potential, it's not hard to see how he could get caught in a roster shuffle at cut-down time.
Anderson also won't be hurt by the fact that defensive line coach Kris Kocurek seems to enjoy coaching him, comparing him recently, in fact, to the now-absent Jones. Since Kocurek has form for turning project players into productive NFL players, such as Arden Key and Charles Omenihu, the fact he's willing to publicly speak so highly of a player who at first glance would seem to be on the fringes of the roster, should certainly give the two veterans pause for thought.
Jalen Graham or Dee Winters over Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
And the award for the longest sub-heading in history goes to....
Yeah, sorry about that one, but it actually illustrates the logjam at linebacker tremendously. The injury suffered by Dre Greenlaw in the Super Bowl has unleashed a Hunger Games-style frenzy for roster spots at the linebacker position, particularly as it seems Greenlaw won't be back until midseason.
The 49ers spent some time trying to fortify the position in free agency, originally being jilted by Eric Kendricks, who went to the rival Dallas Cowboys, before landing De'Vondre Campbell on a one-year deal. They're also bringing back veteran Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, who has been on the team's roster for the last four years.
While Campbell's spot looks secure, second-year players like Jalen Graham and Dee Winters may give the Niners a headachle when deciding the final few spots at the position.
Winters has been praised for his application in the offseason, particularly by Fred Warner, whospoke glowingly of him just a few months ago, while Graham defied preseason predictions last year to make the roster, and was active on special teams in the games he was active for.
His special teams experience may help him carve out a role on the roster, especially since Oren Burks departed the team. They'll certainly be in the mix for a roster spot, regardless of who else is available.
My recent 53-man roster projection had the team keeping all five, kicking the can down the road on making a tough decision here, but if the 49ers do go a little lighter here, the player with the most to lose is the veteran on the back end of the roster.
Flannigan-Fowles has been a survivor throughout his career, regularly signing one-year deals and beating out other linebackers, largely with special teams play, but his ability to deputise when Warner or Greenlaw hasn't played has been mediocre at best.
If either one or both of Graham and Winters continue their upward trajectory, it could be the last time we see Flannigan-Fowles on the roster.
Darrell Luter Jr. over Ambry Thomas
And finally, we stop off at another busy position, that being cornerback.
The 49ers made a number of moves here in the offseason, signing free agents like Isaac Yiadom, Rock Ya-Sin, and Chase Lucas to opportunistic deals, while in the second round of the NFL Draft, they also added Florida State defensive back Renardo Green.
Assuming that some or all of those make the roster, one of the main battles is likely to come down to an ascending young player against a player who has bounced around various roles on the roster during his three years with the team.
Darrell Luter Jr. finally got his 49er career started at the back end of last season, appearing in seven games after missing the start of the season due to landing on the PUP list. It's difficult to know if Luter would've been able to make a bigger impact in his rookie year but for that injury. He was certainly drawing good reviews in camp, and given the struggles of Thomas and Isaiah Oliver in the early going, perhaps he could've drawn some more playing time if the 2023 rookie had been available.
Still, though, the fact he went straight into games following his activation at least says something about how the coaching staff viewed him, and Nick Sorensen, now the 49ers defensive coordinator, also spoke highly of him in June:
"I think with him, it stunk because we were excited for him really quick last year, when he got here, and then got injured pretty quickly. And then, when he came back, it was mid-season or later in the season, and then saw some flashes."
- Nick Sorensen, defensive coordinator
All of this should be ringing alarm bells in Thomas' ear. He already has a struggle to make the roster, considering the amount of players vying for spots and his own inconsistent play, but given that he has been on the fringes of the roster a number of times, continued development of seeming coaching staff favourites like Luter could certainly push him off the team.
To make matters worse, Thomas projects solely as an outside corner, having previously struggled at nickel, yet is behind at least Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir at those positions, as well as possibly the likes of Yiadom. Combined with the versatility of other options, particularly younger talent like Luter who has spent time playing both boundary (outside) and slot (inside) corner, this spells likely trouble for Thomas as the battle for positions begins to hot up.
What do you think about the battle between old and new for roster spots heading into the new season?
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