The San Francisco 49ers have a few marquee bubble players on the roster. The first, former first-round pick A.J. Jenkins, was just sent packing. The second, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, appears the be headed in a different direction. The veteran defensive star did not sign some gigantic contract like he did with the Philadelphia Eagles and after failing to bring his A game during the first few weeks of training camp, many believed he was at risk of getting cut. However, after a strong performance against the Chiefs, Asomugha appears to have locked up a roster spot.
The 32-year old unleashed a couple of big hits against Kansas City that left people impressed with his performance. Asomugha drilled quarterback Alex Smith to the ground while also intercepting a deep route pass. The team liked what they saw enough to give Asomugha the No. 3 cornerback spot on the roster.
Vic Fangio reports the 49ers plan on keeping five or six cornerbacks on the roster heading into the season. Asomugha had been in a two-man race for a top spot with Tramaine Brock, but it is the veteran creating separation. Fangio has not been the biggest fan of Asomugha, making headlines for saying the cornerback might not make the roster. Now, the veteran plays with a big chip on his shoulder.
"The chip thing is there,'' Asomugha said, via the Mercury News. "But my mindset is so strong on being who I know I am, and who I've been. The work ethic is the same. I've always worked my butt off physically and mentally. But it's a different feeling on the inside.''
The fact that the 49ers lost cornerback Chris Culliver to a season-ending injury certainly helped Asomugha's status with the team. As the cornerback locks in his spot, rookie Eric Reid is hoping tom ove up the depth chart as well.
The safety has played well in the team's first two preseason games. Against the Chiefs, he was able to get in some playing time with the first-team offense and now Fangio said Reid will likely start in the game against the Minnesota Vikings. Craig Dahl has been the starter, but Reid has impressed enough.
"My goal every day is just to get better at something. And that's something that Nnamdi talked about today at practice: As long as you focus on getting better at one thing a day, it accumulates. And that's what I've been trying to do and hopefully that's leading me into getting a starting job," Reid said.