One Surprise 49ers Cut to Expect After OTAs

Now that OTAs are over and we saw what the San Francisco 49ers have on their roster, it is easier to sense how the team might look by August. One player that many expected to be here, could end up off the team by then, is wide receiver Christian Kirk.

Christian Kirk is a surprising cut candidate for the San Francisco 49ers

Before OTAs, it looked like Kirk was going to be in line to start, but walking away, his role does not seem nearly as valuable as it once was. Kirk was projected to be the slot receiver with Ricky Pearsall and Mike Evans on the outside. While it is just OTAs, one of the better stories from the 49ers' perspective was hearing that De'Zhaun Stribling might be ahead of schedule and on track to see the field as a starter sooner than later.

Stribling is a draft pick that they invested in early, while Kirk is an aging veteran signed for one year. If it is close, they will push to get the rookie on the field.

If Kirk did not start, one area where he could have made noise was in the return game. He has experience returning punts, although he has not done so in a significant way in quite a few years. Still, because the 49ers do not have a starting return option locked down on the roster, it was a good fallback plan if Stribling caught him

So far, Jacob Cowing has looked like a star as a return man, and as long as he stays healthy, he is going to hold that job down. So, Kirk might not be starting in any areas, and aside from the return game, he will not play a role on special teams.

He is behind at least four receivers on the depth chart, and that does not mention Jordan Watkins or Demarcus Robinson. In the case of Watkins, this is a second-year player competing with a 30-year-old veteran. If Watkins is healthy, he should be getting the benefit of the doubt to make the team over Kirk.

It could easily come down to Kirk against Robinson for a sixth spot. If the team moves from Kirk, it would cost $2.78M in dead cap. However, if they moved on from Robinson, it would be $3.88M in dead cap space.

So, there is a case to be made to keep six receivers over Kirk at this point. It would not be a shock if he got cut.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/49ers/onsi as One Surprise 49ers Cut to Expect After OTAs.

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 10:00 PM.