Following the conclusion of the preseason slate, the San Francisco 49ers made the necessary moves to arrive at their initial 53-man roster by the NFL's August 27, 1:00 p.m. PT deadline. In addition to the players named to the 53-man roster, the team will add another 17 practice squad members in the coming days. Beginning in 2024, the league has expanded the practice squads of every team to 17 if one player is a qualifying international player.
Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the 49ers roster as of Tuesday afternoon:
Quarterbacks (3)
San Francisco's quarterback room includes three signal callers for a third-straight year, two of which are returners from the 2023 season. Brock Purdy, a third-year and first-time Pro Bowler, is set to enter his second full season as San Francisco's starter, fresh off a Super Bowl LVIII appearance. In 2023, he ended the year at or near the top of many of the league's statistical categories including passer rating (first, 113.0) and passing yards per attempt (first, 9.6), completion percentage (fourth, 69.4) and passing yards (fifth, 4,280).
Playing behind Purdy will be Joshua Dobbs, a veteran offseason pickup, and Brandon Allen, a ninth-year pro that has a season of experience in head coach Kyle Shanahan's system. As of now, Purdy's backup has not been announced.
Running Backs/Fullback (5)
The 49ers running back situation remains largely unchanged from 2023, and that's a good thing considering the team ended up No. 2 in rushing yards last season (6,773) second only to the Miami Dolphins (6,822). The running back room is headlined once again by Christian McCaffrey, who is coming off a year in which he earned AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors and finished as the league rushing yards leader (1,459).
Returning with McCaffrey is Jordan Mason, a former undrafted rookie free agent, who has risen through the ranks to become a crucial part of San Francisco's ground game and First-Team All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. are the newcomers to the running back group.
Wide Receivers (7)
Deebo Samuel Sr., Ronnie Bell, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Chris Conley, Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing
The 49ers wide receiver corps got a shakeup in 2024 following an offseason that included a higher draft pick for San Francisco and strong competition at the position during camp and the preseason. Veteran Chris Conley, first-round pick Ricky Pearsall and fourth-rounder Jacob Cowing are the new additions to the team's initial 53-man roster this time around and join Deebo Samuel Sr., Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Ronnie Bell from last year's group.
Pearsall (shoulder) sat out of preseason action but rejoined the team on Monday in preparation for the regular season opener versus the New York Jets. Cowing was rotated in as the team's punt returner for two of the preseason and has elevated himself as one of the team's top options at that position.
Tight Ends (2)
The 49ers opted to take two tight ends into the 2024 season, anchored once again by First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowler George Kittle. "The People's Tight End" is coming off a 1,000-yard, six-touchdown season and was one of four offensive players to amass 1,000-plus yards from scrimmage last season. The only other tight end to make the roster is Jake Tonges, a Los Gatos product, who spent last year on the team's practice squad.
Offensive Line (8)
Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford, Colton McKivitz, Jaylon Moore, Jon Feliciano, Dominick Puni and Nick Zakelj
This current group of offensive linemen is made up of mostly returners with the exceptions of third-round pick Dominick Puni. Puni is a preseason standout, making three consecutive starts at right guard without surrendering a single sack.
Expect to see Jon Feliciano land on the Injured Reserve list in the coming days. Shanahan shared that the veteran swing offensive lineman underwent knee surgery recently and will likely miss the first half of the year. All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams remains on the Reserve/Did Not Report list.
Defensive Line (9)
Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Leonard Floyd, Maliek Collins, Jordan Elliott, Yetur Gross-Matos, Robert Beal Jr., Kevin Givens and Sam Okuayinonu
The defensive line was the top priority of free agency and the draft, so for that reason, this group of eight looks much different than last season. The team added Leonard Floyd, Maliek Collins, Jordan Elliott and Yetur Gross-Matos in the first wave of offseason signings in an effort to bolster their run defense headed into 2024.
Floyd comes to The Bay via the Buffalo Bills and was brought in to bookend the defensive line opposite of 2022 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa. Floyd is a ninth-year pro that has not missed a game since 2017 and has averaged nearly 10 sacks a season over the past four years. Collins was acquired via a trade with the Houston Texans and has spent most of training camp and the preseason playing alongside Javon Hargrave on the interior of the 49ers D-line.
Linebackers (6)
Fred Warner, De'Vondre Campbell Sr., Curtis Robinson, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Dee Winters and Tatum Bethune
First-Team All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner is the veteran leader of the linebacker corps and is joined by Curtis Robinson, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Dee Winters, free agent addition De'Vondre Campbell Sr. and seventh-round pick Tatum Bethune. Robinson is a first-timer to the initial 53-man roster. He signed on with the team late in 2021 and has been a frequently elevated practice squad member in the past.
Cornerbacks/Defensive Back (6)
Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir and Ambry Thomas are the returners of the cornerback room that relied heavily on the draft and free agency to add depth to the position group. The team brought in veteran outside corner Isaac Yiadom, who is fresh off of his most productive season in the league, from the New Orleans Saints. Yiadom recorded 14 pass breakups, an interception, fumble recovery and 37 total tackles in 2023. Renardo Green, the 49ers second-round draft pick, and Darrell Luter Jr., a 2023 fourth-round pick, are the younger newcomers to the group. Luter Jr. began his NFL career on the PUP list and after being activated in mid-November, appeared in seven regular season games.
Safeties (4)
San Francisco's safeties welcome in a rookie to their ranks in 2024 with fourth-round pick Malik Mustapha earning a spot on the 53-man roster. Mustapha rounds out a room that includes three returners - Talanoa Hufanga, George Odum and Ji'Ayir Brown - from last season.
Hufanga, now in his fourth season with the 49ers, is working his way back from an ACL injury he suffered in Week 11. He has been medically cleared to take the next steps in recovery but has not returned to practice yet. Meanwhile, Brown, a second-year player, and Odum, the 49ers special teams ace, have worked alongside each other with the starting defense for most of training camp and the preseason.
Specialists (3)
The specialist trio is back together for a second-straight season. In 2023, punter Mitch Wishnowsky averaged 47.7 yards a punt while former third-round pick Jake Moody is coming off a solid rookie year in which he made 60 of 61 extra point attempts and 21 of 25 field goal attempts.
