San Francisco 49ers Players Most Likely to Be Cut Before Start of 2015 Season

The San Francisco 49ers, like every NFL team, will have difficult roster decisions to make at the end of preseason. However, the swathe of departures that have dominated their offseason is likely to make those calls even tougher for general manager Trent Baalke because of the increased competition for places.

San Francisco heads into training camp with battles at almost every position, which makes performances in camp and the four preseason games all the more crucial for those players who are aiming to impress Baalke and stake a claim for a place on the 53-man roster.

Yet there are some players, either because of depth at a certain position or other factors such as salary-cap considerations, who appear destined not to be on the roster when the Niners line up for their Week 1 clash with the Minnesota Vikings in September.

Of course, plenty of perennial practice squad players will not make the active roster; however, here I look at those who do have a legitimate chance but, save for a strong preseason, will likely miss out when Baalke makes his final decisions ahead of the 2015 campaign.

Craig Dahl

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Thankfully for 49ers fans, Craig Dahl has rarely seen the field as a starter at safety, but when he has, it hasn't been pretty. The former St. Louis Ram was a liability in coverage last preseason and was not much better when he saw the field in the regular season. He earned a minus-1.2 grade from Pro Football Focus for his play as a pass defender in 2014, although he did record an interception that clinched a victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Jim Harbaugh's final game in charge.

Dahl has predominantly been used as a special teamer in his spell with the Niners, but San Francisco has added to its depth in that area and at safety in the offseason, which leaves his place on the roster in significant doubt.

Having drafted Jaquiski Tartt in the second round of this year's draft, the 49ers now have three players who are capable of filling in for starting safeties Eric Reid and Antoine Bethea in Jimmie Ward, Dontae Johnson and Tartt.

Another safety, L.J. McCray, cemented his role as a special teamer last term. The 49ers also added an experienced special teams player in linebacker Nick Bellore, while rookies Tartt and DeAndrew White are strong candidates to serve as gunners.

With the Niners' safety depth increased and plenty of players capable of contributing on special teams, it is tough to see an area where Dahl can be a factor. Cutting him would cost the team $883,334 in dead money and save it only $650,000 in cap space; however, it would be no surprise if San Francisco decides to let go of a player who has never really impressed.

Garrett Celek

John Cordes/Associated Press

With eight tight ends on the roster, there figures to be more than one odd man out in the positional picture, and one of those men appears to be Garrett Celek.

Starter Vernon Davis will be on the roster despite a disappointing 2014 campaign. Asante Cleveland and Xavier Grimble, who have both spent time on the practice squad, are obvious candidates to be cut, which means that five players will compete for the other two or three spots on the depth chart. 

The 49ers value blocking among their tight ends; however, while Celek excels in that area, he is not a major threat in the passing game, which could be his downfall in the offseason competition.

New draft picks Blake Bell and Rory Anderson both made an impact in the passing game in their respective collegiate careers, and Derek Carrier showed flashes of promise for the 49ers in 2014. Former second-round pick Vance McDonald has yet to really catch the eye but is a capable enough blocker for San Francisco to feel justified in giving him another chance in 2015.

Whether seventh-round selection Anderson has a shot of making the team is another issue; however, there can little debate that he, Bell, Carrier and McDonald are better candidates to make an impression as pass-catchers than Celek. Cutting him would save $710,000 in cap space and cost only $25,000 in dead money. The 49ers should need no further motivation to sever ties with a player whose impact on the offense is minimal.

Chris Cook

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Chris Cook has one thing that the 49ers value in their cornerbacks: length. What he does not have, however, is a consistent history of strong play at the NFL level.

He arrived with the Niners following a disappointing stint with the Minnesota Vikings in which he did not record an interception. The former Virginia corner actually performed well in limited snaps for San Francisco before injury cut short his season, but after re-signing on a one-year contract, he comes into a crowded secondary.

The 49ers lost Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox in the offseason but have a host of young corners who are looking to make an impression. Tramaine Brock and Dontae Johnson look to be the best options as starters, while free-agent acquisition Shareece Wright and nickel man Jimmie Ward figure to get plenty of playing time. That leaves few opportunities for the others on the depth chart.

Cook has the benefit of experience, yet Keith Reaser and Kenneth Acker both appear capable of ending his stay with the Niners despite each missing his rookie season with the team.

Acker was one of the bright spots of preseason before picking up an injury that kept him on the sidelines, and Reaser—who underwent ACL surgery prior to being drafted in 2014—possesses the kind of lightning speed the Niners have lacked in the secondary in recent years.

Per James Brady of SB Nation, Acker and Reaser have already drawn praise from Jim Tomsula for their performances in OTAs. Releasing the 6'2" Cook would cost San Francisco $800,000 in dead money while saving the Niners only $437,500 in cap space, but he has never been a consistently effective player in the pros. As a result, Baalke could decide that Acker and Reaser are better bets going forward.

Ian Silberman

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Not every NFL draft pick will be on the roster at the start of the season. It is a somewhat sad fact that draft-day joy quickly turns to disappointment as late-round picks fail to make the 53-man roster.

Guard Ian Silberman could well be one such player for the 49ers for no other reason than that San Francisco is stacked on the interior offensive line. In addition to Alex Boone, the Niners also have Daniel Kilgore and Brandon Thomas—both of whom can play guard and center—as well as 2014 third-round pick Brandon Thomas and Joe Looney, who is the last man standing from a dreadful 2012 draft class.

Silberman played tackle at Boston College but is better suited to the guard position. Although that versatility to operate on the outside is a useful asset, the Niners already have a number of O-linemen capable of filling in at different positions.

His best chance of making the roster would be to beat out Looney, who struggled when called into action in 2014. Yet at this point, with rookie tackle Trenton Brown making more noise at OTAs and minicamp than Silberman, that seems unlikely. A place on the practice squad would appear to beckon for Silberman unless he can turn some heads during training camp and preseason.

Trey Millard

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Trey Millard has an excellent all-round skill set; however, it may not be enough to earn the fullback a spot on the active roster. The former Oklahoma Sooner missed his rookie season as he recovered from an ACL injury and now faces a tough fight to stake a claim, with starter Bruce Miller having been so pivotal to the Niners' success in recent years.

Miller has been a vital part of the offense, serving as an excellent lead blocker in the running game and as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Despite his off-the-field troubles—Miller pleaded no-contest to a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace following an incident with his ex-fiancee back in March—he will be the favorite to continue in that role.

The simple fact is Millard would have to cause a stir in minicamp and preseason to unseat Miller, which is not impossible given his range of abilities. Millard is a capable blocker, a bruising one-speed runner and a relatively effective receiver out of the backfield and in the slot, which means he would probably be best suited to the H-back role in the pros.

Even with his array of capabilities, Millard—who can also cover kicks—is a definite outsider to make the roster. As it stands, there is little reason for the Niners to carry two fullbacks, and San Francisco has enough faith in the experienced Miller for him to be a lock to take the sole spot on the depth chart at that position.

Salary-cap information courtesy of Over The Cap.

Nicholas McGee is a San Francisco 49ers Featured Columnist based in Leeds, England. Follow him on Twitter @nicholasmcgee24.