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The 49ers did heavy lifting in the construction of their 53-man roster Tuesday, but — as expected — the work on this initial regular-season version of the team won’t be finished until Wednesday.
That’s when the 49ers will see if they’re awarded any players off the waiver wire — GMs executed nearly 1,200 cuts league-wide to meet Tuesday’s deadline to reduce rosters to 53 players — and when the team will build its 17-player practice squad.
The 49ers should have 70 active players in the building when they retake the practice field Wednesday. But for now, just the initial 53-man foundation and framework is in place. The building cannot yet be occupied. The 49ers will get there within 24 hours.
All we know for sure: The team has made big-time early roster commitments to both the offensive and defensive lines. Pay close attention to that as we break down where the roster stands after the last two days of cutting and shuffling.
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Rookies are italicized.
Quarterbacks (2)
On the 53: Brock Purdy, Mac Jones
Still on the team: Kurtis Rourke (NFI)
Cut: Tanner Mordecai, Carter Bradley
The 49ers will certainly bring in at least one more quarterback — but it seems like the practice squad will be his landing spot, at least for now. Will it be Bradley or Mordecai? Or an entirely new face?
Running backs (5)
On the 53: Christian McCaffrey, Brian Robinson Jr., Isaac Guerendo, Jordan James
Cut: Jeff Wilson Jr., Ke’Shawn Vaughn
We figured this would be straightforward, and it indeed was. As a vested veteran, Wilson is free to sign anywhere. But if no one has a 53-man roster spot for him, the 49ers’ practice squad makes almost too much sense.
Robinson, by the way, is officially No. 2, ahead of Guerendo. Coach Kyle Shanahan recently confirmed that, and Robinson said he and McCaffrey will be “the best duo in the league.”
Wide receivers (5)
On the 53: Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins, Skyy Moore
Still on the team: Brandon Aiyuk (PUP), Demarcus Robinson (suspended list)
Cut: Russell Gage, Robbie Chosen, Isaiah Hodgins, Junior Bergen, Malik Turner, Terique Owens
No questions have been answered here except for Robinson’s official placement on the suspended list, which opened up a roster spot. The 49ers can still place Jennings on injured reserve — in fact, that’s always made more sense as a Wednesday transaction, after he qualified for the initial 53-man roster. (That would give Jennings the ability to return after four games.)
Cowing is in the same boat; the 49ers can place him on IR tomorrow and reopen a roster spot for someone such as Gage, who was cut but will remain in the building — either on the 53 or on the practice squad.
Tight ends (3)
On the 53: George Kittle, Luke Farrell, Jake Tonges
Cut: Brayden Willis
Tonges beat out Willis for the final spot here, and the 49ers, straining to conserve space to carry the necessary offensive and defensive linemen, rostered only three tight ends. This may be unusual for Shanahan, who has typically carried four, but it’s not unexpected given the numbers issues elsewhere.
Offensive linemen (10)
On the 53: Trent Williams, Ben Bartch, Jake Brendel, Dominick Puni, Colton McKivitz, Spencer Burford, Drew Moss, Matt Hennessy, Connor Colby, Austen Pleasants
Still on the team: Isaac Alarcón (suspended list)
Cut: Nick Zakelj, Michael Dunn, Drake Nugent
The quandary facing the 49ers that we wrote about yesterday? They stampeded right through it by carrying a staggering 10 O-linemen — two more than usual. Moss forced his way onto the team; the 49ers didn’t want to expose this promising developmental prospect to waivers. Hennessy beat out Zakelj for backup center, and Pleasants, because Burford doesn’t have swing tackle capability, made the team as the backup right tackle. The 49ers may try to upgrade Pleasants’ spot through the waiver wire, but quality offensive tackles are hard to come by.
Defensive linemen (11)
On the 53: Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams, Jordan Elliott, Kalia Davis, Yetur Gross-Matos, Bryce Huff, Evan Anderson, CJ West, Alfred Collins, Sam Okuayinonu, Robert Beal Jr.
Still on the team: Kevin Givens (IR — eligible to return)
Cut: Sebastian Valdez, Trevis Gipson, Bruce Hector, Jonathan Garvin, William Bradley-King
Many fans will undoubtedly be disappointed that Valdez didn’t make the cut, but there’s good news: The 49ers expect Gross-Matos — a key piece in their D-line rotation — to be back soon from his knee issue. That’s why they activated Gross-Matos from the physically unable to perform list. There’s also a chance that Valdez clears waivers, in which case the 49ers would welcome “The Hulk” back to the practice squad Wednesday. And here’s a shoutout to Beal, who might’ve punched his ticket with a sterling performance in the preseason finale.
Linebackers (5)
On the 53: Fred Warner, Dee Winters, Luke Gifford, Tatum Bethune, Nick Martin
Cut: Curtis Robinson, Chazz Surratt, Stone Blanton, Jalen Graham
There seems to be a solid chance that cutting Robinson, a vested veteran who doesn’t have to go through waivers, is simply a procedural move. He can be one of the 49ers’ core special teams players, after all. This is another reason why it’s important to wait until at least Wednesday to see the full picture of what the 49ers have in mind.
Cornerback (6)
On the 53: Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout, Darrell Luter Jr., Chase Lucas, Siran Neal
Still on the team: Jakob Robinson (injured reserve)
Cut: Dallis Flowers, Fabian Moreau
Lucas’ surge pushed Flowers out of the picture. We hinted at this Monday, noting Lucas’ playing time at outside cornerback in the preseason finale. That likely made the 49ers comfortable enough to jettison Flowers, who was only on a one-year deal. Luter, on the other hand, has two years remaining on his rookie deal. That made him the more valuable asset to the 49ers.
Safeties (4)
On the 53: Jason Pinnock, Marques Sigle, Ji’Ayir Brown, Richie Grant
Still on the team: Malik Mustapha (PUP)
Cut: Jaylen Mahoney, Derrick Canteen
The 49ers are in line to start a rookie, Sigle, at one of the safety spots. Mustapha, because he remains on PUP, will miss at least the first four games. When he returns — if the 49ers are enjoying decent health here — perhaps Brown will be expendable. But for now, the 49ers have held onto their safety depth.
Specialists (2)
On the 53: Jake Moody, Jon Weeks
Cut: Thomas Morstead
In the most obvious procedural move of the day, the 49ers cut Morstead — but plan to re-sign him Wednesday after moving another player to injured reserve. That could be Jennings, Cowing, or a truly surprising name.
But the bottom line is that the 49ers aren’t done yet. The first iteration of this roster won’t be finished until Wednesday, when the team retakes the practice field in the afternoon. And Morstead will almost certainly be with them again when they do.