Making Call on the San Francisco 49ers' Hardest Remaining Cuts

If Jim Harbaugh were still the head coach, the San Francisco 49ers might be inclined to keep veterans and cut young players who are on the roster bubble.

Harbaugh loved veteran players.

Most of the time, he and his defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, played veterans at the expense of young players. Just last season, Harbaugh played veteran wide receiver Stevie Johnson over Bruce Ellington and Quinton Patton, potentially delaying their growth.

Unlike Harbaugh, new head coach Jim Tomsula seems to trust young players. He and his coaching staff will specialize in developing young players.

With that in mind, here are five veterans the Niners will probably cut before the regular season begins.

S Craig Dahl, 8th Season

Associated Press

Craig Dahl misses a tackle in a preseason game against the Houston Texans.

In 2013 and 2014, Craig Dahl was the first safety off the bench. If either of the 49ers’ starting safeties suffered an injury, Dahl was the replacement.

Was he a good replacement? No, but he was a veteran who knew the division and the 49ers defense. The coaches could trust him to be in the right spots and execute the right assignments. That’s why he made the team for the past two seasons.

But the Niners don’t need him anymore—they invested in safeties in the past two drafts. In 2014, San Francisco drafted Jimmie Ward in Round 1, and this year, it drafted Jaquiski Tartt in Round 2.

Both safeties are better than Dahl.

TE Garrett Celek, 4th Season

George Bridges/Associated Press

The Niners don’t have space for tight end Garrett Celek.

San Francisco already has three tight ends who will likely make the team: starter Vernon Davis, 2013 second-round pick Vance McDonald and 2015 fourth-round pick Blake Bell.

Celek would probably have to be the fourth tight end, but if the Niners keep a fourth tight end, it will probably be Derek Carrier, who is a better receiver than Celek.

Instead of cutting Celek, the Niners would probably prefer to trade him. So look for them to try to pad his stats during the preseason. He already made one touchdown catch Saturday against the Houston Texans.

ILB Desmond Bishop, 9th Season

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When training camp started, it seemed like the Niners needed a veteran inside linebacker to come off the bench.

It seemed like they needed an experienced guy to fill in if NaVorro Bowman’s surgically repaired knee needs a rest during the regular season or if Michael Wilhoite continues to miss time with a pulled hamstring.

Now, it seems like the Niners have found two inside linebackers who can come off the bench, and neither is a veteran. One is third-year pro Nick Moody, and the other is second-year pro Shayne Skov.

They’ve been fantastic during training camp and were two of the Niners’ four highest-graded defensive players against the Texans, according to Pro Football Focus, which gave Skov a plus-3.0 grade and Moody a plus-1.8 grade.

Moody, in particular, has played so well that the Niners might make him a starter. Skov has played so well that he will almost certainly earn a roster spot, which would make Desmond Bishop the odd man out.

DE Tony Jerod-Eddie, 4th Season

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These six defensive linemen will almost certainly make the 49ers final roster:

• Glenn Dorsey
• Ian Williams
• Quinton Dial
• Tank Carradine
• Darnell Dockett
• Arik Armstead

Dorsey, Williams and Dial will start in the base defense, and Dockett and Carradine will start in the sub-packages. Armstead was the team’s first-round pick this year, so he isn’t going anywhere.

Fourth-year defensive end Tony Jerod-Eddie would have to be the seventh defensive lineman to make the team. Do the Niners need seven defensive linemen? Probably not. They have more pressing needs at linebacker, at cornerback and on the offensive line.

Jerod-Eddie is a solid backup defensive lineman, but the Niners have plenty of those. He probably won’t make the team.

NT Mike Purcell, 3rd Season

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Backup nose tackle Mike Purcell was better than solid against the Texans. He made six tackles, had one pass breakup and was the highest-graded player on the 49ers defense, according to Pro Football Focus, which gave him a plus-4.2 grade in just 23 snaps.

Purcell spent most of the past two seasons on San Francisco’s practice squad after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2013. It’s possible that the third-year veteran is beginning to come into his own and will become a special player.

It’s also possible that Saturday night was an aberration. It was the first good game he has ever played in the NFL. Maybe he won’t play well in the next few preseason games. He’s an unknown.

Jerod-Eddie has played 32 games in the NFL. He’s known and probably has a better chance to make the team than Purcell does.

All practice observations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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