Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Wednesday, August 30th, 2023
49ers cut down roster to 53 players, opt for youth on both lines
“The 49ers have cut down their roster from 90 to 53. While there were not too many surprises, quite a few came on the offensive and defensive line.”
Steve Young weighs in on 49ers’ trade of QB Trey Lance to Dallas (paywall)
“I thought the competition was real,” Young said. “Trey got better. He is improving. Where that ceiling is? I don’t know. But that will be a lot about opportunity that he gets for himself and the other people around him.
“So I think they fundamentally believe that they had found … if you listen to Kyle closely, I think he sees Sam as potentially a starter. And so you can say, ‘That’s crazy.’ You can complain all you want. I think that’s how Kyle sees it. What he’s trying to tell people is, ‘I see this guy as my starter at some point, potentially.’”
49ers 2023 53-man roster breakdown: Changes coming after initial cuts
“The final 53 is not the final 53.”
49ers’ 53-man roster breakdown: 3 QBs, 6 linebackers and other key details (paywall)
“The biggest news at this spot is that the 49ers cut good-looking rookie Jamison and now must sweat out waivers before they can add him to the practice squad. Jamison was consistently strong in coverage as an outside cornerback and at one point got unprompted praise for the team’s top route runner, Aiyuk. Thomas and Womack beat him out for the last two spots.”
“They took the shot with Lance, but they couldn’t keep waiting for him. They had Garoppolo winning games. With all the talent they had accumulated, maybe they didn’t need a superstar QB. They sure didn’t need an unreliable one. Yes, at some point that fall, the 49ers’ front office had internal discussions about the prospect of trying to keep Garoppolo as the starter into 2023, even when Lance was healthy.
And Shanahan was also intrigued enough by his new rookie QB that he told associates back then that he’d never been more eager to see what he had in a third-string QB than he was to get a look at Purdy.
If you’re looking for the existential moment when Shanahan mentally started moving on from Lance, this might’ve been it.”
Thompson: Brock Purdy, the 49ers and the ‘weird situation’ with so much riding on it (paywall)
“s. Again, the search isn’t just for a good quarterback. The 49ers need someone who can take down Mahomes. They need someone who can go on the road for the NFC title game, in a place like Philadelphia or Seattle, and not be rattled. First, they need someone who can stay healthy enough to get them there.
If that’s not Purdy, it’s going to be a critical blow. The 49ers likely won’t be high in the draft again next year (unless injuries tank their season or Purdy really isn’t the one) to select the quarterback of the future. The last six years have illustrated the difficulty of finding someone who fits Shanahan’s needs. Doing so on the open market is likely to fundamentally restructure the 49ers, whether to fit the new quarterback’s big salary or because of what they’d have to give up for such a player. “
“Weird situation,” Garoppolo said. “But a lot of weird situations over there in San Francisco, just leave it at that. But you know, I’m happy Trey get another shot man, happy he’s getting to Dallas, gets another opportunity. Hopefully things work out there.
“But you know, this is a weird league. Everyone has a different story how they get to places, myself included in that just, it’s never a straight line. There’s always going to be bumps in the road. Some things you got to overcome, and I think Trey’s made of the right stuff. He’s a good dude, love that guy. He’s a brother to me, so I’m always pulling for him.”