Taking Another Look At The 49ers 2022 Roster As It Stands Right Now, Plus My Latest Roster Projection

With the 49ers rookie minicamp over, it’s time to take a look at the roster as it stands in my eyes, as well as my latest projected roster for 2022, along with a look at the 49ers 2023 cap situation, both as of now, & with this projected roster.

Below is how I currently see the 2022 roster as it stands, with locks in bold.

Offense:

QB(4): 5 Trey Lance(2024), 10 Jimmy Garoppolo(2022), 7 Nate Sudfeld(2022), & 14 Brock Purdy(2025)
RB(6): 25 Elijah Mitchell(2024), 22 Jeff Wilson Jr.(2022), 28 Trey Sermon(2024), 32 Tyrion Davis-Price(2025), 23 JaMycal Hasty(2022), & 41 Jordan Mason(2024)
FB(2): 44 Kyle Juszcyzk(2025), & 40 Josh Hokit(2022)
WR(11): 19 Deebo Samuel(2022), 11 Brandon Aiyuk(2023), 15 Jauan Jennings(2022), 3 Ray-Ray McCloud(2023), 86 Danny Gray(2025), 17 Malik Turner(2022), 6 Marcus Johnson(2022), 81 Austin Mack(2022), 13 KeeSean Johnson(2022), 49 Tay Martin(2024), & 24 Taysir Mack(2024)
TE(6): 85 George Kittle(2025), 89 Charlie Woerner(2023), 82 Ross Dwelley(2022), 84 Tanner Hudson(2022), 88 Jordan Matthews(2022), & 47 Troy Fumagalli(2022)
C(4): 50 Alex Mack(2023), 64 Jake Brendel(2022), 61 Dohnovan West(2024), & 62 Jason Poe(2024)
OG(5): 65 Aaron Banks(2024), 76 Jaylon Moore(2024), 60 Daniel Brunskill(2022), 63 Nick Zakelj(2025), & 66 Keaton Sutherland(2022)
OT(7): 71 Trent Williams(2026), 69 Mike McGlinchey(2022), 74 Spencer Burford(2025), 68 Colton McKivitz(2022), 67 Justin Skule(2022), 78 Sam Schlueter(2024), & 77 Alfredo Gutierrez(2022)

Defense:

DE(9): 97 Nick Bosa(2023), 56 Samson Ebukam(2022), 92 Kerry Hyder Jr.(2022), 53 Kemoko Turay(2022), 94 Charles Omenihu(2022), 95 Drake Jackson(2025), 75 Jordan Willis(2022), 55 Dee Ford(2022), & 58 Alex Barrett(2022)
DT(4): 91 Arik Armstead(2024), 90 Kevin Givens(2022), 96 Maurice Hurst Jr.(2022), & 77 Kevin Atkins(2024)
NT(4): 99 Javon Kinlaw(2023), 98 Hassan Ridgeway(2022), 93 Kalia Davis(2025), & 78 Chris Slayton(2022)
LB(9): 54 Fred Warner(2026), 57 Dre Greenlaw(2022), 51 Azeez Al-Shaair(2022), 48 Oren Burks(2023), 45 Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles(2022), 59 Curtis Robinson(2022), 47 Jeremiah Gemmel(2024), 49 Segun Olubi(2024), & 40 Marcelino McCrary-Ball(2024)
CB(11): 35 Charvarius Ward(2024), 4 Emmanuel Moseley(2022), 20 Ambry Thomas(2024), 38 Deommodore Lenoir(2024), 27 Dontae Johnson(2022), 26 Samuel Womack(2025), 36 Tariq Castro-Fields(2025), 2 Jason Verrett(2022), 31 Darqueze Dennard(2022), 24 Ka’dar Hollman(2022), & 43 Qwuantrezz Knight(2024)
S(6): 1 Jimmie Ward(2022), 33 Tarvarius Moore(2022), 29 Talanoa Hufanga(2024), 30 George Odum(2024), 14 Leon O’Neal Jr.(2024), & 41 Tayler Hawkins(2024)

Special Teams:

PK(1): 9 Robbie Gould(2022)
P(1): 18 Mitch Wishnowsky(2022)
LS(1): 46 Taybor Pepper(2022)

Notes:

At quarterback, I just can’t see how the 49ers can justify keeping Garoppolo on the 53-man roster, or even letting him play preseason games, not when the team needs that $25 million in cap room for 1. 2022 and 2. To carryover into 2023.

At running back, I see JaMycal Hasty as the odd man out, especially after the Tyrion Davis-Price pick.

When it comes to the teams’ wide receivers, I think it’s possible that they keep 5, but head coach Kyle Shanahan usually keeps 6 wide receivers, so if that continues, it should come down to the two veterans that they signed, Malik Turner, & Marcus Johnson, with Turner being the guy that I see making it if they do carry 6.

The tight end position is pretty much set, barring an injury or roster move, but, I do wish they would have addressed the #2 TE spot in the draft, but hopefully Ross Dwelley can improve from 2021, because he didn’t look particularly great or even good, with Charlie Woerner overtaking him as the #2 TE.

On the offensive line there are a lot of questions to be answered, like, who will be the teams’ right guard? Left guard? Center? Will Alex Mack come back? I can’t give definitive answers, but my feeling is Mack returns, Aaron Banks at left guard, & Jaylon Moore at right guard, with Spencer Burford being a swing Tackle, who should see time at right tackle, either in preseason, or regular season, depending on Mike McGlinchey’s health, and I expect Daniel Brunskill, & Colton McKivitz to win backup spots, as they’re both versatile, and still young.

On the defensive line, I think 5 of the 6 EDGE rusher spots are locked in, barring injuries or bad play, with the team looking at either Jordan Willis or Charles Omenihu as the 6^th EDGE rusher, as for the interior part of the defensive line, I expect the backup 3-Technique to come down to Kevin Givens, or Maurice Hurst Jr., while Javon Kinlaw, & Hassan Ridgeway will play that 2i position, which is where I envision Kalia Davis, being a big nose tackle, but, Davis will start the season on reserve/NFI due to a torn ACL from last October, but this is a very deep group, maybe deeper than 2019? Definitely 2020 & 2021.

At linebacker, I see them keeping 4, so unless they decide to go thin at another spot, then they should go with just 4, as this is a norm for the 49ers since Kyle Shanahan, & John Lynch came in.

When it comes to the cornerback spot, I see both Samuel Womack, & Tariq Castro-Fields making it, along with Deommodore Lenoir, as I just can’t see any of them clearing waivers, with Dontae Johnson likely starting on the practice squad, and Jason Verrett beginning on reserve/PUP list or reserve/injured-designated-for-return list.

At the safety position is uncertainty, not at free safety, as Jimmie Ward will start, but at strong safety, where it’s going to come down to Tarvarius Moore, Talanoa Hufanga, or George Odum, with, in my opinion, Moore having the edge.

Now when it comes to the special teams unit, I believe it will be much better, with the likes of Oren Burks, George Odum added, plus new returner Ray-Ray McCloud, & 3^rd-round pick Danny Gray, who does have some experience, albeit, limited, at returning, so McCloud should be the teams’ primary returner, with Gray being the backup.

As for the teams’ undrafted free agents, I feel the players with the best chance to make the 53-man roster are, centers Dohnovan West, & Jason Poe, linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel, & strong safety Leon O’Neal Jr.

With all of that said, this is what my updated 53-man roster, practice squad, & injured lists would look like.

53-Man Roster:

1. QB 5 Trey Lance(2024)- $7,751,195
2. QB 7 Nate Sudfeld(2022)- $2,000,000
3. RB 25 Elijah Mitchell(2024)- $870,893
4. RB 22 Jeff Wilson Jr.(2022)- $1,085,000
5. RB 28 Trey Sermon(2024)- $1,107,485
6. RB 32 Tyrion Davis-Price(2025)- $928,826
7. FB 44 Kyle Juszcyzk(2025)- $2,958,750
8. WR 19 Deebo Samuel(2022)- $4,890,519
9. WR 11 Brandon Aiyuk(2023)- $3,417,641
10. WR 15 Jauan Jennings(2022)- $825,000
11. WR/KR/PR 3 Ray-Ray McCloud(2023)- $1,910,000
12. WR 86 Danny Gray(2025)- $917,255
13. TE 85 George Kittle(2025)- $7,679,765
14. TE 89 Charlie Woerner(2023)- $940,258
15. TE 82 Ross Dwelley(2022)- $1,047,500
16. C 50 Alex Mack(2022)- $5,075,000
17. C 61 Dohnovan West(2024)- $710,000
18. LG 65 Aaron Banks(2024)- $1,607,638
19. LG 63 Nick Zakelj(2025)- $752,590
20. RG 76 Jaylon Moore(2024)- $905,759
21. RG 60 Daniel Brunskill(2022)- $2,433,000
22. LT 71 Trent Williams(2026)- $14,031,765
23. LT 68 Colton McKivitz(2022)- $895,000
24. RT 69 Mike McGlinchey(2022)- $10,880,000
25. RT 74 Spencer Burford(2025)- $873,014
26. DE 97 Nick Bosa(2023)- $10,805,564
27. DE 56 Samson Ebukam(2022)- $8,250,000
28. DE 53 Kemoko Turay(2022)- $1,700,000
29. DE 92 Kerry Hyder Jr.(2022)- $1,500,000
30. DE 95 Drake Jackson(2025)- $1,071,344
31. DE 94 Charles Omenihu(2022)- $2,540,000
32. DT 91 Arik Armstead(2024)- $9,576,000
33. DT 90 Kevin Givens(2022)- $895,000
34. NT 99 Javon Kinlaw(2023)- $4,224,191
35. NT 98 Hassan Ridgeway(2022)- $1,800,000
36. WLB 57 Dre Greenlaw(2022)- $2,620,429
37. MLB 54 Fred Warner(2026)- $8,134,588
38. MLB 48 Oren Burks(2023)- $1,408,000
39. SLB 51 Azeez Al-Shaair(2022)- $3,986,000
40. CB 35 Charvarius Ward(2024)- $3,800,000
41. CB 4 Emmanuel Moseley(2022)- $6,555,529
42. CB 20 Ambry Thomas(2024)- $1,087,693
43. CB 38 Deommodore Lenoir(2024)- $896,217
44. CB 26 Samuel Womack(2025)- $775,831
45. CB 36 Tariq Castro-Fields(2025)- $738,003
46. FS 1 Jimmie Ward(2022)- $12,935,588
47. FS 33 Tarvarius Moore(2022)- $1,035,000
48. SS 29 Talanoa Hufanga(2024)- $885,038
49. SS 30 George Odum(2024)- $1,435,000
50. SS 14 Leon O’Neal Jr.(2024)- $708,333
51. PK 9 Robbie Gould(2022)- $5,509,313
52. P 18 Mitch Wishnowsky(2022)- $1,156,018
53. LS 46 Taybor Pepper(2022)- $1,120,000

Practice Squad:

1. QB 14 Brock Purdy- $207,000
2. RB 41 Jordan Mason- $207,000
3. FB 40 Josh Hokit- $207,000
4. WR 6 Marcus Johnson*- $277,200
5. WR 17 Malik Turner*- $277,200
6. WR 24 Taysir Mack or WR 49 Tay Martin- $207,000
7. C 64 Jake Brendel*- $277,200
8. C/RG 62 Jason Poe- $207,000
9. LT 78 Sam Schlueter- $207,000
10. RT 77 Alfredo Gutierrez**- $0
11. DE 75 Jordan Willis*- $277,200
12. DT 96 Maurice Hurst Jr.*- $277,200
13. WLB 47 Jeremiah Gemmel- $207,000
14. SLB 45 Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles- $207,000
15. CB 43 Qwuantrezz Knight- $207,000
16. CB 27 Dontae Johnson*- $277,200
17. FS 41 Tayler Hawkins- $207,000

Injured Lists:

1. NT 93 Kalia Davis(2025)- $738,003
2. CB 2 Jason Verrett(2022)- $895,000

With this roster the 49ers would have a cap commitment of $180,657,069, with $14,631,528 in dead money, for a total cap commitment of $195,068,598, leaving the 49ers $18,083,897 under their 2022 adjusted salary cap, which means they can carryover between $10 million to $12 million to 2023, while reserving between $6 million to $8 million for in season roster moves.

With this update I added in center Dohnovan West, & strong safety Leon O’Neal Jr., while bumping center Jake Brendel, & defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr. to the practice squad, as I’m not sure either West or O’Neal clear waivers, and I was tempted to put center Jason Poe, & weakside linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel on the 53, hopefully they clear waivers.

Some other things, if Alex Mack does retire, then Jake Brendel becomes the favorite to be the teams’ starting center, but don’t be shocked if West or Poe end up being the starter, with the other being the backup, it’s not the most ideal situation, but it would at least mean we have 2 centers signed for 3-years, to play, & grow into NFL players.

When it comes to Jimmy Garoppolo, I just, as I said before, see no way the 49ers keep him, he costs too much, while he’s not hindering the 49ers salary cap wise, & free agent wise, it is annoying that he’s here, and we still have the talk that Trey isn’t ready, which is pure bullshit in my opinion.

At running back, I am tempted to drop Jeff Wilson Jr. to the practice squad, he does have $530,000 fully guaranteed, but Kyle Shanahan always keeps 4 backs, ever since 2019, so I think he makes it, as of now, and if not him, I can see Jacob Mason, or another veteran brought in, or the team might choose to go 3 RBs, & 6 WRs, with Maik Turner being my favorite for a potential 6^th spot, which I don’t think is necessary.

I went over the center spot, but the one spot I’m concerned about is the interior offensive line, I do like Aaron Banks, & Jaylon Moore, but they’re just 2^nd-year players, so I’m worried about it, and if Mack doesn’t come back, it becomes something that will be an issue, or worrying a lot of fans all year, unless they sign a J.C. Tretter to play center.

Defensive wise, when it comes to the defensive line, I like the group I have here, but I can see Jordan Willis over Charles Omenihu, or Hurst over both, I think 9 of the 10 spots are pretty much locked up, so that 10^th, and potentially 11^th defensive lineman spots are up for grabs.

Linebacker wise, I like the idea of just 4, as I can see Hufanga playing some linebacker if needed.

As for Talanoa Hufanga, I don’t know if he begins as the starting strong safety, or if it’ll be George Odum, or Leon O’Neal Jr., or my personal choice Tarvarius Moore, but the strong safety spot is the other spot I’m concerned about.

Cornerback wise, I like the 6 I have there, I’d rather go youth, while risking losing someone like Castro-Fields, or Lenoir to waivers.

Now, the team would get back some money in 2023, up-to $350,000 for Malik Turner, up-to $250,000 for Marcus Johnson, up-to $560,000 for Dontae Johnson, and base salary guarantees for UDFAs, like Jeremiah Gemmel($70,000), Jason Poe($65,000), Marcelino McCrary-Ball($100,000), this is of course depended on these players making enough money during the 2022 season, so that’s potentially extra cap room they could get for 2023 in a form of adjustments/credits.

Anyway, there you have it, my updated roster projection.

And as always, thanks for reading, leave a comment, or follow me on Twitter @49erscap.

About Author

Jason Hurley

Die Hard 49ers fan from New York, been covering the 49ers salary cap since 2005, with several different websites, including NinersNation.com, & the now defunct NinerCapHell, I have a track record of being as accurate as possible, & I try to be as thorough as possible.

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