San Francisco 49ers Roster Cuts Tracker 2024: Keeping tabs on all of the moves to get to 53
The San Francisco 49ers have until Tuesday to trim their roster to 53 players for the 2024 regular season. Deliberations between the coaching staff and a front office led by general manager John Lynch will already be taking place ahead of 4:00 p.m. ET deadline on August 27. Below you'll find everything you need to […]
The San Francisco 49ers have until Tuesday to trim their roster to 53 players for the 2024 regular season.
Deliberations between the coaching staff and a front office led by general manager John Lynch will already be taking place ahead of 4:00 p.m. ET deadline on August 27.
Below you'll find everything you need to know about roster cuts ahead of the new campaign.
49ers’ 2024 roster cuts: 53*
*The 49ers technically had 91 players on the offseason roster with international OT Isaac Alarcon getting a roster exemption.
- Released RB Matt Breida
- Waived WR Jontre Kirklin
- Released RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn
- Waived P Pressley Harvin III
- Waived OL Lewis Kidd
- Waived QB Tanner Mordecai
- Released WR Robbie Chosen
- Waived WR Danny Gray
- Waived TE Brayden Willis
- Waived TE Cameron Latu
- Waived CB Samuel Womack III
- Released OL Ben Bartch
- Released OL Chris Hubbard
- Released OL Brandon Parker
- Released DL T.Y. McGill
- Released TE Eric Saubert
- Released WR Trent Taylor
- Released TE Logan Thomas
- Released S Tracy Walker III
- Released DL Nick Williams
- Released CB Rock Ya-Sin
- Waived OL Isaac Alarcon
- Waived DL Evan Anderson
- Waived DL Alex Barrett
- Waived DL Shakel Brown
- Waived DL Jonathan Garvin
- Waived OL Sebastian Gutierrez
- Waived OL Jarrett Kingston
- Waived CB Chase Lucas
- Waived S Jaylen Mahoney
- Waived WR Tay Martin
- Waived OL Drake Nugent
- Waived TE Mason Pline
- Waived RB Cody Schrader
2024 NFL roster cuts important details:
The NFL has reverted from gradual roster cuts throughout the preseason to a single deadline. Rosters must be reduced to 53 players virtually all at once. The 49ers have a host of different transactions they can use to make that happen. Here are the terms you need to familiarize yourself with:
- Released: When a vested veteran (those who have accrued four seasons in the NFL) is cut from a team. These players are not required to pass through waivers and can immediately become unrestricted free agents. Sometimes that means they'll sign with another team. Other times, teams can release these veterans and re-sign them after they've placed other players on injured reserve.
- Waived: Players who have not accrued four seasons in the NFL are waived instead of being released. 31 NFL teams will have a chance to claim waived players on their 53-man roster by 11:00 a.m. CT on August 28. If players are not claimed on waivers, they become unrestricted free agents. Waiver priority this time of year is determined by team records from the previous season. The team with the worst record will get the top waiver priority, in this case, the Carolina Panthers. The Chiefs will have the lowest waiver priority as Super Bowl LVIII champions.
- Waived/injured: If these players clear waivers they will revert to the Chiefs’ injured reserve list. They can opt to spend the season with Kansas City on IR or reach an injury settlement with the team, which will pay them for the number of weeks they'll miss with injury and make them an unrestricted free agent. Players who opt for the latter route can rejoin the team later in the season after they're healthy.
- Injured reserve: Up until this year, a player had to make the initial 53-man roster to be placed on IR and be eligible to return later in the season. Now, up to two players can be placed on IR on the day of final cuts (Tuesday) and be designated to return. Teams still have the option to carry injured players on the 53-man roster and some good reasons to do so. First, if a player is placed on IR, he is forced to miss at least four games. Second, if a player makes the initial 53 and is placed on IR on the following day, there are eight designations to return from IR — and another two for playoff teams.
- Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list: Players on the Active/PUP list can be placed on the Reserve/PUP list in a move to get the roster down to 53 players. Players who are moved to the Reserve/PUP list do not count against the 53-man roster. They can attend team meetings, and use team facilities for rehab, but are not allowed to practice for four weeks. After four weeks, another 21-day window opens up, where the player can practice and be activated. If they’re not activated in those 21 days, they must be placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
- Reserve/Non-football injury/illness (NFI) lists: Players placed on either Reserve/NFI lists have to go through the same process as players on the Reserve/PUP list. They do not count toward the 53-man roster. They can go to team meetings and use facilities for rehab, but they’re not allowed to participate in practice for four weeks. After that, a four-week period opens where they can return to practice and the team can choose to activate the player. If the player isn’t activated at the end of the second four-week period, they’ll remain on injured reserve for the rest of the season. The big difference between the NFI and PUP lists is that teams can withhold a portion of a player’s salary if they’re placed on the NFI lists.
- Reserve/Suspended list: Players who are placed on the Reserve/Suspended list have to serve out an NFL suspension. Players on this list do not count toward 53-man roster limits and are not paid their base salary.
- Reserve/Did Not Report list: Players who are placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list have left their team. Trent Williams could be a candidate for this list if he and the 49ers do not agree a reworked contract in time for the start of the regular season.
- Reserve/Retired list: Players who are placed on this list have retired from the NFL. This is a pretty rare transaction that you typically wouldn't see in a move to get to 53 players.
49ers' key position battles
General manager John Lynch has already essentially confirmed that rookie Dominick Puni has won the starting right guard job.
There aren't too many definitive battles on the roster. There is significant competition for the SAM linebacker role, with Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Dee Winters and Curtis Robinson among those in the mix.
Isaac Yiadom and Renardo Green have been in a competition for the third cornerback spot, with the winner likely to play as an outside cornerback on nickel downs when Deommodore Lenoir kicks inside. With Green playing deep into every preseason game, Yiadom would appear to be the favorite.
NFL practice squad rules:
After the claiming period has ended at 12:00 PM ET on Wednesday, Aug. 28, teams are permitted to assemble their 16-man practice squads. Here are the rules on who can be signed to the practice squad.
- Players who do not have an accrued season (I.E. rookies).
- Players who were on the active roster for fewer than nine regular-season games during their only accrued season(s).
- Up to four players per team with no more than two accrued seasons.
- Up to six players per team with no accrued season limitations (I.E. vested veterans).
Additionally, the 49ers are allotted an exempt practice squad spot in 2024 because of the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP) program. Should OT Isaac Alarcón clear waivers, the 49ers can keep him in that exempt spot on the practice squad
Players 49ers placed on PUP/NFI lists:
The following players are on the active versions of the above lists. That means they count toward the 90-man offseason roster. They can be placed on the reserve versions of the lists during roster cuts.
- LB Dre Greenlaw is on the PUP list due to a torn Achilles suffered in Super Bowl 58.
- S Talanoa Hufanga is on the PUP list with the torn ACL he sustained in Week 11 last season.
Additionally, DE Drake Jackson is on the PUP/reserve list with a knee injury.
