Analyzing the 49ers’ four most difficult roster cuts

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The 49ers underwent a light, non-padded practice session Monday and enjoyed the return of several players. Defensive linemen Mykel Williams and CJ West, offensive lineman Ben Bartch, quarterback Mac Jones, linebacker Tatum Bethune, and safety Richie Grant were among the players back from injuries.

The team also began its cutdown work, waiving backup QBs Carter Bradley and Tanner Mordecai with injury designations while cutting defensive linemen Shakel Brown and Jaylen Allen and running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn. The team placed offensive lineman Isaiah Prince on injured reserve.

With that, the 49ers trimmed the roster from 90 to 84 players. The team will need at least 31 more transactions by Tuesday at 1 p.m. — that’s when it’ll have to be under the 53-man limit.

Here are four of the most difficult decisions facing the 49ers before the cutdown deadline.

Moss is a road-grading offensive guard who actually made headlines right before camp when he married Mya Lesnar, the daughter of WWE legend Brock Lesnar. Moss was instrumental in clearing the way for running Jeff Wilson Jr.’s touchdown in the preseason finale; this was just one of many solid run-blocking efforts he has put on tape over the past month.

But roster numbers, as they so often do, make for a difficult decision here.

Above all else, the 49ers must ensure that they carry a lineman who can suit up on game days and play center in case starter Jake Brendel goes down. And although Moss actually projects as an NFL center due to his relatively short 32-inch arms, he didn’t take a single rep there during the preseason. The center position requires massive cerebral responsibility in coach Kyle Shanahan’s system, so rookie prospects such as Moss are typically trained at guard first.

Long story short: It appears that veteran Nick Zakelj, who actually has center training at the NFL level, projects above Moss in the pecking order. And unless the 49ers take the unusual measure of carrying nine O-linemen on their 53-man roster, it seems likely they’ll expose Moss to waivers.

Will Moss be claimed by another team if this happens — like rookie Jarrett Kingston was last season? That’s the roulette spin the 49ers will have to take if they’d rather re-sign Moss to their practice squad. But it is clear that the 49ers would prefer to keep Moss in their building.

“He’s very, very strong,” 49ers offensive line coach Chris Foerster said in early August. “He gets his hands on people. He really does handle them. He’s not overmatched at all. He’s got good quickness. He doesn’t have great range — you know, he’s not a long guy, he’s not long-levered, things like that. So sometimes as a guard, you can get in some trouble. He’s going to play center, which isn’t something he’s done a lot of. It’s really hard in this offense, what we do, all the movements, the shifts and everything. It takes some guys to get a hold of that. The physical traits lead to someone I think has a future at center and possibly guard.”

The undrafted defensive tackle turned heads with his strength and hustle this preseason. Valdez — whom the 49ers have nicknamed “the Hulk” — bench-pressed 225 pounds 34 times during the pre-draft process, and his power stood out in the preseason finale.

Together with second-year defensive tackle Evan Anderson, the Hulk collapsed the interior of the Los Angeles Chargers’ O-line to clear room for rookie linebacker Nick Martin — whose thunderous hit forced a fumble. The entire play was a great illustration of the push that 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh craves from his defensive tackles: The goal is to free up the team’s fast linebackers.

“You definitely feel it,” Martin said of that push from Valdez and Anderson. “When you don’t have O-linemen climbing up to you, you can see and diagnose the play. Those guys are balling. I’m super excited to play behind them.”

While Anderson seems like a safe bet to make the 53-man roster, it’ll be harder to find room for Valdez. There is potential good news for the rookie: The 49ers will likely open up two spots by placing D-linemen Kevin Givens and Yetur Gross-Matos on injury lists, meaning Valdez could squeeze into the picture as the 10th D-lineman. The team has carried either nine or 10 on the 53-man roster in the past.

But it’s a tight squeeze. Defensive ends Robert Beal Jr. and Trevis Gipson both made strong auditions against the Chargers to take that 10th spot. The 49ers might base this on relative need between the tackle and end positions, or they might free up a D-line spot via trade. Veteran Jordan Elliott might fit that bill — that’s speculative but based on the 49ers’ youth movement up front this offseason.

One of the interesting twists of Saturday’s finale came in the secondary, when Chase Lucas — who starred at nickelback over the first two preseason games — played exclusively at outside cornerback.

This was a new position for Lucas. Perhaps the opportunity can be interpreted as a test from the 49ers, who wanted to see if he was capable of being the team’s fourth outside cornerback. Dallis Flowers and Darrell Luter Jr. have battled for the No. 3 spot over the past month. It seems possible that both make the 53-man roster, but if the 49ers believe in Lucas’ fill-in ability for the outside, it stands to reason that they can get away with rostering only one of those two reserve cornerbacks.

Regardless, it seems that Lucas’ excellence in the slot and on special teams has punched his ticket. He projects to be Upton Stout’s backup. (The rookie was moving well on the side field Monday and is expected back at practice soon.) The equation with Flowers and Luter is murkier.

Ah yes, the fog of war. As long as there’s uncertainty surrounding Jennings, there’s uncertainty about the complexion of the receiving room. That's why the 49ers would love to have this resolved as soon as possible.

If Jennings is unable to play Week 1, the top three available wideouts project to be Ricky Pearsall, Russell Gage, and Skyy Moore. Those three are projected to make the 53-man roster — but what happens beyond that?

Brandon Aiyuk will go to the PUP list. Demarcus Robinson will head to the suspended list. Jacob Cowing will likely land on injured reserve. Rookie Jordan Watkins should be back for the first month of the season, so he’ll likely take up a spot on the 53-man roster even if he isn’t fully healthy.

That’s four receivers in a room that typically sees six on the 53-man roster. So if Jennings isn't in the mix, the 49ers might be scrambling for replacements. Veterans Robbie Chosen and Isaiah Hodgins, who might otherwise be practice squad projections, figure to top the list of potential substitutes.

But the 49ers can also look to the outside for help, especially because nearly 1,200 players league-wide are about to be cut. They were reportedly interested in Amari Cooper, who just signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s what’ll make the next 48 hours absolutely fascinating.