The 49ers will have very high turnover in their secondary going into the 2014 season, as they’re replacing Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner, and Tarell Brown, who saw the first, second, and fourth most snaps, respectively, last season.
The only other players who played large roles in the secondary not being replaced are 2013 first round pick Eric Reid and Tramaine Brock.
The first move to help fill the void left from the departing players was signing Antoine Bethea who has spent his whole career with the Colts. The second big move was drafting Jimmie Ward. The team brought in other defensive backs for competition and depth, such as Chris Cook, D.j. Campbell, and re-signing others like Perrish Cox, and Eric Wright.
So who isn’t likely to make the roster? I’d say at least three of the above, but it won’t stop there. Let’s settle the locks first, Ward, Brock, Reid, Bethea, rookies Dontae Johnson, Kenneth Acker, and Keith Reiser. You’ll notice that I left Chris Culliver out of that, and although I think he has a very good shot to make the roster, his off-field concerns, a likely suspension, and his recovering from injury can leave that up in the air. The next “big” name player that’d be on the bubble is C.J. Spillman, but he’ll stick around for his special teams ability.
Seeing as the 49ers drafted four defensive backs this year, it’s unlikely for the short term players to make the roster. Guys like Cook, Cox, Campbell, and Wright will be looking for new homes come mid preseason as the roster spots will go to the younger, cheaper players.
The undrafted defensive backs and any of the younger players could stick around on the practice squad and try to progress and be ready in case the team needs them at some point. Some possible players for the practice squad would be James McCray, Darryl Morris, and maybe Campbell.
What it all ultimately comes down to is that there are only so many roster spots, and the team only has so many open spots on the roster. Although the 49ers will be facing very high turnover, they’ve positioned themselves very well, and have a lot of young talent for the future.