The bye week is usually a time for players to see increases in role or more put on their plate. However, that can often mean that players see reductions in playing time on the flip side. Which players on the 49ers could end up playing less after the bye week?

5 San Francisco 49ers Who Could Play Less After Bye Week

Connor Colby 

The team is not going to bench Colby coming out of the bye week. However, at the same time, he is trending in the wrong direction. His first four games were okay, but the last three before the bye week raise a lot of questions. 

The team already has rookie Carver Willis preparing as a potential option to step in. Willis played tackle in college, so it was always going to take him some time to adjust to the NFL. Now that he has the bye week, he might be ready for a bigger role. If Colby does not continue to play well, they are going to bench him. Do not be surprised if Colby is not the starter throughout the second half of the season.

Jacob Cowing

Cowing has only been playing due to the injuries at the position. However, the team is supposed to get a little bit healthier after the bye week, with Deebo Samuel and Mike Evans returning to the lineup. Demarcus Robinson might be back soon as well. Christian Kirk is healthy too, and he might be able to take the punt return job from Cowing, so Cowing could end up being inactive.

Sebastian Valdez

Valdez was signed from the practice squad when the team had multiple injuries on the defensive front. However, now the 49ers have traded for DeForest Buckner, and they got UDFA James Thompson back healthy. With the bye week to get the group in line, it looks like Valdez is the fifth man in the rotation. That might mean being inactive on game days.

Ji’Ayir Brown 

Brown has started every game this season, but both Malik Mustapha and Marques Sigle have been better than him. Sigle has been injured, but when he comes back, the team might elect to start him next to Mustapha and keep Brown on the bench.

Keion White 

Mike Williams is healthy and starting to play more. Nick Bosa is expected to come back after the bye week, and the team is starting to get more production from rookie Romello Height. None of these three will lose time for White, who will be fourth in the rotation.