The San Francisco 49ers released their first unofficial depth chart ahead of their preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans. Fans aren’t interested in seeing the starters, according to our FanDuel Sportsbook poll from last week:
That’s not too surprising. We don’t need to see players in August. We need to see them in January. Risking an injury or any type of aggravation makes little sense.
Here’s a look at the depth chart that was released and put together, courtesy of the 49ers communications
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Let’s start at wide receiver, in an attempt to break up how each player is being used.
The depth chart has Demarcus Robinson, Deebo Samuel, and De’Zhaun Stribling in the same cluster. At practice, amid the current injuries, those are the three wideouts on the field together. Robinson lines up at “X” with Mike Evans out. Deebo is at “Z” in place of Ricky Pearsall, while Stribling is mastering “F,” which is in the slot.
Things can change in a hurry. A few weeks ago, we were debating whether or not Robinson would make the roster. A slew of injuries have made him a lock.
The fight for the final spot(s) will be intriguing. Will one of the undrafted free agents make a name for themselves? Can Malik Turner find his way onto the roster once again? August is a big month for the wideouts.
Equally as important is who is catching passes from which quarterback. Junior Bergen’s arrow is pointing up. The same cannot be said for Jordan Watkins, who is playing with…Adrian Martinez.
As for the offensive line, we hardly knew ye, Connor Colby. The 49ers were always going to lean on a veteran at left guard. It’s Robert Jones’ job to lose. Carver Willis is doing a little bit of everything between playing both guard spots and center. His head might be spinning. Realistically, he’s going to soak up as much information as he can from Jake Brendel and take over for him next year.
We also thought most of the competition would be on the defensive side of the ball. Reports have Sebastian Valez taking a step, but that feels eerily similar to last season. He’d have to beat out some quality undrafted free agents, or one of the draft picks from the past couple of seasons. I’ll believe it when I see it — aka, when Valdez isn’t going against Austen Pleasants or one of the Niners’ third-stringers.
It sounds like Jack Jones is a shoo-in to make the roster at cornerback. If that’s the case, Nate Hobbs might be on the outside looking in, unless the team wants to punt on rookie Ephesians Prysock. Jones is the kind of cornerback to intercept a pass on one possession and give up a 60-yard play on the next. Consistency has always been his issue.
I’m interested to see how creative Raheem Morris gets with the secondary. He’s already worked Deommodore Lenoir at nickel. If that’s the case, will we see Upton Stout take reps at safety during the preseason? If the goal is to put your best five players in the secondary on the field, and you are confident that Jones can give you more than Ji’Ayir Brown, why not roll with a Renardo Green, Jones, Lenoir, Stout, Marques Sigle secondary?
