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The San Francisco 49ers have one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL, and Brock Purdy has a new weapon this year. However, the receiver group needs to shake out down the line. And here are two 49ers cut candidates on the chopping block entering the 2026 NFL training camp.
Things look solid at the top end of the receiving group, but what happens after that? Also, the 49ers face a dilemma at a different position: safety.
Let’s take a look at a pair of cut candidates for head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers.
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WR Jordan Watkins
This final receiver-room position looks like a three-dog race. Can Watkins cling to that last receiver spot? Is Demarcus Robinson on the edge? Does Jacob Cowing have a shot?
One thing that helps Robinson is his veteran savvy. If the 49ers weren’t all-in for a Super Bowl run, maybe Watkins and Cowing would have the edge. But as it stands, they’ll probably fight for one spot.
At the top of the ladder, Mike Evans is the main man. However, his injury history means the 49ers must have guys ready to fill in for key games. Again, that adds to the likelihood Robinson will stick despite being 31 years old.
Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk are locked at WR2 and WR3. And rookie De’Zhaun Stribling should make enough of a splash to hold on as the top backup. And maybe he even pushes Kirk as the year moves forward.
A fourth-round draft pick in 2025, Watkins caught just two passes last season. He played in four games.
Both Watkins and Cowing, a 2024 draft pick, seem to be making improvements, according to nbcsportsbayarea.com.
“I would say both [Watkins and Cowing] are taking a step,” position coach Leonard Hankerson said recently. “Jordan came in, fourth-round pick last year, and as a receiver, it’s tough already in this offense with the expectations of how you are going to do things, having the mindset of wanting to be the man.
“And then reality hits because of you have a lot of learning to do. Things that you have done in college may not work here.”
But Watkins is getting more comfortable.
“With Jordan this year, second time around, he’s playing faster, he’s coming off the ball, he’s making plays over the middle,” Hankerson said. “He’s comfortable in the offense of playing all three positions and just not one. That, in itself, allows you to go out there and be confident in what you’re doing, play faster and make plays.”
S Ji’Ayir Brown
It looks like the 49ers will roll with Malik Mustapha at one safety position. And maybe Brown manages to perform well enough in training camp to still be in the mix for meaningful snaps.
However, he has competition from Marques Sigle and veteran Ashtyn Davis. Also Derrick Canteen and Jalen Stroman are in the battle.
Brown has deficiencies that could cause him to miss the cut, according to SBNation via Yahoo.
“Brown can make plays near the line of scrimmage,” Kyle Posey wrote. “But there have been some glaring weaknesses in his game that you can’t ignore. The game is called tackle football, and Brown is coming off a season in which he had a broken-plus-missed tackle rate of 22.2 percent.
“In coverage, Brown forced a tight window throw only 8.8% of the time. On 34 targets, he allowed an average separation of 4.3 yards with a -8.7 EPA and -11.1% catch rate over expectation.”
Also last year, Brown totaled 76 tackles, two for loss, two interceptions, six pass breakups, and a forced fumble. But he has also surrendered 10 touchdowns against just nine career pass breakups. And Pro Football Focus painted a bleak picture.
“Brown earned a 61.7 overall PFF defensive grade in the 2025 season, 62nd among 98 qualified safeties,” PFF wrote.
His coverage grade ranked 61st while his run-defense grade put him 56th at the position. That’s getting dangerously close to scraping the bottom of the NFL barrel.
Who is the most serious competition for Ji’Ayir Brown?
A fourth-year veteran, Brown has drawn 26 starting assignments over the last two seasons. But the above numbers make it possible the 49ers have seen enough.
Furthermore, Davis isn’t necessarily seen as depth, according to “The Grit Code” podcast via ninerswire.com.
“I don’t think this move was made for him to be a backup,” Whitner said on “The Grit Code” podcast. “He’s coming to this team to compete for a starting job.
“I think this was a move to Ji’Ayir Brown and said ‘we gave you two years as a starter. In this third year, we cannot allow you to be a detriment to our success and if you start the season the way that you ended last season, we have a bunch of other guys in this locker room that we will replace you with.’ “
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