The San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night wrapped up their three-game preseason slate with an 18-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
Now the hard part comes for the 49ers coaching staff. They have a ton of injuries to navigate and some coin flip decisions at a handful of positions. They have until August 30 to make their final cuts. The 49ers now have three mandatory days off which means they won't practice again before cutdown day.
Here is our final 53-man roster projection following Thursday's preseason finale (rookies in bold, asterisks next to new players on our projection):
Quarterback (3)
- Brock Purdy
- Mac Jones
- Kurtis Rourke
Changes: It's just tough to see a world where the 49ers let Rourke get away from their roster.
Running back (3)
- Christian McCaffrey
- Jordan James
- Kaelon Black
PUP: RB Isaac Guerendo
Changes: This group feels solidified.
Khalil Herbert had a good final preseason game and he can contribute on special teams which opens the door to him making the team if the 49ers want to keep an additional RB.
Fullback (1)
- Kyle Juszczyk
Changes: Never.
Wide receiver (6)
- Mike Evans
- Deebo Samuel
- De'Zhaun Stribling
- Demarcus Robinson
- Jacob Cowing
- Jordan Watkins
IR: Christian Kirk
Changes: This group stays at six for now after Watkins put together a really good second half against the Raiders. It wouldn't be a surprise if the 49ers let him go and risk losing him on waivers so they can backfill another position elsewhere. If Watkins makes the club it will likely be his last chance to prove he has a future in San Francisco.
Tight end (4)
- George Kittle
- Jake Tonges
- Luke Farrell
- Brayden Willis
Changes: No changes here. Willis suffered a concussion Thursday night and Hayden Rucci put together a strong game that would've included a touchdown if not for an illegal block call on Jordan James.
Offensive line (9)
- Trent Williams
- Colton McKivitz
- Jake Brendel
- Dominick Puni
- Robert Jones
- Drake Nugent*
- Carver Willis
- Enrique Cruz Jr.
- Offensive lineman to be named later*
Changes: Nugent, a former undrafted free agent, looks like he could be in the mix to make the roster ahead of a veteran in Brett Toth who hasn't participated in most of camp because of a concussion. Toth is a candidate to return to the practice squad if he's let go. This is a tough group to evaluate because there's some upside, but not a ton of sure things on the depth chart. We're still anticipating another addition.
Defensive line (10)
- DE Nick Bosa
- DT Osa Odighizuwa
- DT Alfred Collins
- DT CJ West
- DT Gracen Halton
- DE Sam Okuayinonu
- DE Keion White
- DE Ogbo Okoronkwo*
- DE Romello Height
- DT James Thompson Jr.
Pup list: DE Mykel Williams
Changes: Okoronkwo has been productive enough to get into our 53-man projection, but it says a lot about the 49ers pass rush that a player like Okoronkwo may be a necessity as they try to find any impact players on the edge. Between injury questions, inexperience and overall lack of depth − DE could be a real problem position for San Francisco in 2026.
Linebacker (5)
- Fred Warner
- Dre Greenlaw
- Tatum Bethune
- Jaden Dugger
- Garret Wallow*
Changes: This is tough. Wallow didn't play in the preseason finale because of back spasms, but he's in after not making our last projection. With some numbers available thanks to cuts at other positions, we'll pencil him in as a fifth LB. Nick Martin is still on the outside looking in, and Luke Gifford is a candidate to be released and then re-signed once the 49ers have made their roster moves with the initial 53-man group. This is a position that could have more depending on the injury situations at other spots.
Cornerback (5)
- Deommodore Lenoir
- Renardo Green
- Upton Stout
- Jack Jones
- Ephesians Prysock
Changes: No changes for now, but Prysock suffered a shoulder injury in Thursday's game and was quickly ruled out. There's no word on the severity of his ailment yet, but if he's not going to be ready for the regular season it opens the door for a player like Eli Apple to stick around on the 53-man roster. Siran Neal also played really well at cornerback Thursday night, although he should make the club as a safety.
Safety (4)
- Ji'Ayir Brown
- Malik Mustapha
- Marques Sigle
- Siran Neal
Changes: This group stays the same for now, but could Ashtyn Davis sneak his way in if the 49ers are planning on Neal playing more CB than S defensively? That'll be something to watch at final cuts.
Specialists (3)
- LS Jon Weeks
- K Eddy Pineiro
- P Corliss Waitman
Changes: No changes. Waitman had another stellar game Thursday night.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Final 49ers 53-man roster prediction after preseason finale
