49ers Players Who Need Impressive Camp to Avoid Being Cut
The top end of the San Francisco 49ers' roster fills itself out quickly.
The presence of Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and others make it easy for head coach Kyle Shanahan to focus on the back end of the 53-man roster in training camp.
Shanahan does have some offensive decisions to make at running back and tight end, where veteran players and recent draft picks could be cut before Week 1 because of the depth at each position.
The 49ers also have an intriguing battle at kicker, at least for the moment, because they spent a third-round pick on their likely Robbie Gould replacement. But they have a veteran on the roster who pose a strong threat to their rookie kicker over the next month.
Tyrion Davis-Price
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The 49ers' 2022 third-round pick faces an uphill climb to playing time if everyone on the running back depth chart is healthy.
Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell will earn the majority of the carries in Kyle Shanahan's offense. Jordan Mason is in line for the backup touches at the position.
San Francisco also gets creative with its play-calling, which means Deebo Samuel and others will run the ball throughout the regular season.
There may not be much need for a fourth running back on the 53-man roster because of how involved McCaffrey and Mitchell are, as well as other offensive skill position players, in the rushing attack.
Davis-Price earned 34 carries in his rookie season, but he only managed 99 rushing yards, which is a concerning sign inside Shanahan's offense that is designed to help running backs.
The LSU product could beat out Mason for the No. 3 running back job, but if he does not do enough in training camp, he could be left on the outside looking in as cuts come in.
Ross Dwelley and Charlie Woerner
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Ross Dwelley and Charlie Woerner possess a similar skill set.
Dwelley and Woerner are on the roster right now because of their blocking capabilities more than their pass-catching success.
The addition of Cameron Latu through the 2023 NFL draft means one of Dwelley and Woerner could be gone by the end of training camp.
Latu was drafted for the 49ers to have another pass-catching threat across the middle alongside George Kittle.
Woerner has 88 receiving yards in three seasons with the 49ers. Dwelley owns one 200-yard season in five campaigns with the NFC West side.
The 49ers have no need to carry four tight ends on their active roster, and they might even justify having just two tight ends depending on needs elsewhere on the depth chart.
Dwelley and Woerner must continue to prove their value in the run game, and show some glimpses on pass patterns, throughout July and August.
Zane Gonzalez
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The assumption about the 49ers kicker competition is that Jake Moody will enter Week 1 as the start and Zane Gonzalez is just there to provide competition in preseason and showcase himself to other teams.
That is most likely the case with the former Arizona and Carolina kicker, but there is a scenario in which he is too good for the 49ers to let him go.
That would make for an awkward situation with Moody, who was drafted high for a kicker in the third round.
Gonzalez missed the 2022 season, but at his best, he was one of the more accurate kickers in the NFL. He hit over 88 percent of his field-goal attempts in 2019 and 2021.
Training camp and preseason will be important for Gonzalez regardless if he stays in San Francisco, or is cut and lands elsewhere, but his presence at least adds some intrigue to the special teams roster spots.
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