WR Will be Toughest Roster Cut for 49ers to Make

Day nine of 49ers training camp showed how deep the 49ers are at wide receiver, which will make for roster cuts tough for them when the time comes.

Jul 26, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Danny Gray (6) pauses during Day 4 of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

SANTA CLARA -- Day nine of training camp for the San Francisco 49ers showcased how deep the 49ers are at wide receiver.

Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings are the obvious players who headline, but beyond them is where it gets intriguing for a highly contested battle at the position. Even with Brandon Aiyuk holding out of practice and Jacob Cowing on the mend with a hamstring injury, the 49ers still have fairly good depth at the position.

Wide receiver easily will be the toughest position cuts for the 49ers when the time comes. Samuel, Jennings, Aiyuk, and Ricky Pearsall are the locks to make the roster. That means two more spots are available for the taking with one more player likely ending up on the practice squad.

Today at camp was an intriguing one for the receivers with Chris Conley standing out the most. He took an amazing deep pass from Brock Purdy for a touchdown. Later he would make a couple more solid plays, so he is a player making a case to be on the main roster. He's already proven to the 49ers he's capable from last season.

Danny Gray is the next receiver I saw having a solid outing. He took a corner route throw from Josh Dobbs and converted it into a chunk play and maybe even a touchdown. He's apparently been doing well since the start of camp and the 49ers could really use a vertical threat.

Ronnie Bell was a roller coaster at practice today. He'll look the part on some plays, then completely fail on others. Special teams value isn't even there for him because Trent Taylor has taken that away. He makes it tough on Bell to make it, especially since Taylor actually looked decent today. He was at least better than Bell.

Even Terique Owens is interesting. He wasn't a factor in scrimmage, which means he is on the outside looking in. But the reps he took during one-on-ones was fascinating. He's not a speedster by any means, yet he is methodical in his route-running. He beat Samuel Womack badly on one rep that freed him up wide open.

This is a tough decision for the 49ers with how they are going to round out the position for final cuts. I'd imagine Cowing starts the year on the shelf to give the 49ers an easier decision, but even then it's not that much better. Whoever gives them the most special teams impact with capability on offense is the one who will win it.