Now the 49ers can really get down to business. The preseason is over. Training camp is over. The regular season is just around the corner, and this weekend the Niners are now tasked with cutting down their roster by nearly half. With Niners’ head coach Kyle Shanahan keeping every recognizable starter on the sideline Thursday, the team’s preseason finale didn’t carry much weight for the casual ...

The San Francisco 49 ers' Larry Worth III and Eddy Pineiro hug after Pinerio's sixth field goal against the Las Vegas Raiders during a preseason game at Allegiant Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Las Vegas.

Ian Maule/Getty Images North America/TNS

Now the 49ers can really get down to business.

The preseason is over. Training camp is over. The regular season is just around the corner, and this weekend the Niners are now tasked with cutting down their roster by nearly half.

With Niners’ head coach Kyle Shanahan keeping every recognizable starter on the sideline Thursday, the team’s preseason finale didn’t carry much weight for the casual fan. But it meant everything for more than 40 guys playing for their professional lives, desperately trying to avoid being handed a trash bag for their gear on Sunday morning.

For the fringe guys under the desert lights, this was the entire universe. A single blown blitz pickup or missed tackle doesn’t just ruin a drive — it might start a LinkedIn search.

So who made the cut? We’ll find out soon enough.

But here are the studs and duds of the preseason finale (or at least the first two and a half quarters of it — the full portion of the game that proved valuable):

Studs

— Jordan James (RB): The 49ers could have an awesome running back room in 2026. James showed excellent vision and punch, and paired with Kaelon Black and Christian McCaffrey, the Niners should have three worthwhile, trustworthy backs this season.

— Brayden Willis (TE): Good blocking and strong movement — highlighted by a well-executed sift block. Willis is clearly tight-end No. 4. What does that mean for him on the 53-man roster?

— Keion White (DE): Looked like a starter against second-string Raiders players.

— Siran Neal (DB): Steady, disciplined play at cornerback. Was called for a seriously questionable pass interference call at the end of the second quarter — I saw it as great coverage. Any doubt that he was going to make the 53-man roster was expunged after a great game from scrimmage (instead of just being a special teams ace).

— Ogbo Okoronkwo (DE): A sack and several positive reps at a position of need. The exact kind of performance that makes a team.

— KhaDarel Hodge (WR/ST): Strong coverage gunner play on special teams. He probably won’t make the 53-man roster, but I suspect we’ll see plenty of him this season as a practice-squad call-up.

— Eddie Piñeiro (K): Money. He went 6 for 6 Thursday.

— Jalen Graham (LB): Looked strong, particularly against the Raiders’ No. 1 offense.

— Viliami Fehoko Jr. (DE): Looked pretty good for a guy who just showed up this week.

— Corliss Waitman (P): Just hits bombs.

Duds

— Jordan Watkins (WR): Struggles across multiple phases (bad kick returns, two big misses as a receiver, and uninspiring punt returns) has set up the recent fourth-round pick for a stressful weekend. He needed schemed-up routes and a gadget call to make a play. He’s still likely to make the team, but it wasn’t a strong showing, especially when you consider that Jacob Cowing wasn’t on the field.

— Jaden Dugger (LB): Poor tackling and questionable run fits negated, by a wide margin, the few nice things he did Thursday. The issue with Dugger is the same as it was when he was at Louisiana-Lafayette: his prodigious athleticism makes his highlights look good — it’s flashy, eye-catching. But the full game tape shows those are few and far between — his hesitation and questionable decisions make the lowlights a near-constant.

— Alfred Collins (DT): The Duo blocks will continue until he does something about it. That’s yet to happen. It should be fine, though, the Rams don’t run the most Duo in the league…

— CJ West (DT): An uninspired performance.

— Adrian Martinez (QB): We had a good time. Best of luck in your next endeavor.