some comments on the comments to my comments.
1. It is very early, but it's all we have to work with. But with Cowart flashing, it will be something to keep an eye on going forward.
2. Could very well be true,
4. King might be a very good ST'er, but this year roster spots are going to be at a real premium, so I think it will be a lot harder to keep even good ST'er's if they don't also have a role on the regular offense or defense.
With all the new rules regarding the kicking game, ST's is no longer an equal partner to the offense and defense as it used to be. Gunners still are critical, but like KO returns, the number of punt returns are dropping as the hang times are rising. I'd like to think that guys like Winovich, Obi, Calhoun, Rivers, etc can be adequate cover guys in this environment, while Slater and Jones are premier gunners.
5. Well not being able to practice isn't helping either. But his case is much like King's, he's a luxury they can't afford, though IIRC, he plays S on the GL D often. But the thing you'd have to agree with me for this to make sense is that ST's has become less important and no longer justifies having 3 or 4 players who ONLY play special teams (beyond the actual kickers).
Right now the team has 5 that fill that description. (Boldin, King, Ebner, Slater, and Brooks) To get their deepest roster, I think they can only keep 2 of those, unless Brooks proves himself to be the #4 S. Boldin stays because he's a legit RB, and Slater because you still need gunners and he's the best to go along with his leadership importance. As much as I like them, Ebner and King don't provide as much value, and if you keep them 2 legit position players you might need more will end up on someone else's team.
6. I'm have a hard time figuring out who is a OLB/DE/Edge, etc. I think more and more we have to let go of these rigid conception of position names. Way too much fluidity in what we see now. Call it the" amoeba-tization" of defense. (patent pending)