By Saturday, NFL teams will have reduced their rosters from 90-player maximums to 75 and finally 53 within a one-week period.
The chart shows where the San Francisco 49ers' roster stands by position at the 75-man limit. It also shows Week 1 positional counts for the previous two seasons. The comparison should generally show us where the team will trim, and to what degree.
49ers' Week 1 Rosters vs. Today
The 49ers have had the same head coach and a very similar coaching staff for each of the past three seasons, so we shouldn't see wild swings in how the team values certain positions.
Wide receiver and cornerback are positions of interest heading into the final preseason game, set for Thursday night at San Diego. It's possible the 49ers have seen enough to know where they're headed at those positions, but from the outside, it's tough to settle on a clear receiving rotation for Week 1 against Green Bay.
The coaching staff has been straightforward in its public assessments recently.
Coach Jim Harbaugh pointed to Colt McCoy as the clear choice to serve in the No. 2 role behind starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio identified rookie first-round choice Eric Reid as the starting free safety over Craig Dahl and C.J. Spillman. Fangio also noted that Nnamdi Asomugha has a slight lead over Tramaine Brock as the third corner, although injuries affecting both players could come into play.
Harbaugh has called the long-snapping race close between veteran Brian Jennings and Kevin McDermott, an undrafted rookie from UCLA. Jennings has been outstanding for years, but he's 36 and carrying a higher salary-cap charge at a time when the 49ers are counting cap dollars more closely.
