We have just a few more weeks remaining of the dead period in the NFL.
Soon teams will return for training camp and, eventually, begin the difficult business of trimming the roster down to the 53-man limit ahead of the regular season.
There will be some surprises among those released around the league, and recently A to Z Sports picked out one possible shock cut candidate for each NFL team.
One man's trash can be another man's treasure, so let's look at three potential surprise cuts who could prove to be beneficial to the San Francisco 49ers' quest of winning it all.
Joseph Ossai, EDGE, Cincinnati Bengals
A to Z Sports' Bengals writer John Sheehan identified Ossai as a cut candidate just over three years on from him being drafted in the third round by Cincinnati.
Ossai lost his rookie season to injury and has only 4.5 sacks in his pro career having failed to build on a promising 2022 campaign in which he had 3.5 sacks, 14 quarterback hits and 20 pressures.
Sadly, to his point he is best remembered for a late hit out of bounds penalty in the AFC Championship Game at the end of that season, a flag that helped hand the Kansas City Chiefs victory.
But Ossai's MockDraftable spider web from the pre-draft process in 2021 is that of the kind of explosive pass rusher that 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek would love to get the chance to mold.
Still only 24, Ossai's best football should be ahead of him and, with the 49ers light on edge depth behind Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd , it would be no surprise to see them pounce if the Bengals do cut ties.
Isaiah Foskey, EDGE, New Orleans Saints
Even more of a projection here, as Foskey has yet to even record an NFL sack one season into his career.
Saints writer Adam Holt indicated there is a chance the Saints move on from Foskey after a rookie campaign in which he contributed little, with New Orleans' addition of former 49er Chase Young complicating his path to playing time.
Foskey does not possess the same level of explosiveness as Ossai, but he still fits the bill at the defensive end spot in terms of the traits Kocurek values.
At Notre Dame, Foskey impressed as a power rusher who won consistently by converting his get-off into a destructive bull rush. A high-motor player, Foskey heads into the pros needing to develop more counters, and he could land with the perfect teacher to add those nuances to his game if the Saints do surprisingly cut him.
Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Could the 49ers sign the man who completed their latest heartbreak back in February? It's far from an impossible scenario.
Hardman caught the game-winning touchdown in the 49ers' overtime defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58 but has no guaranteed money on his deal for 2024.
A to Z Sports' Chiefs writer Charles Goldman pointed to Hardman as a potential surprise cut.
The 49ers are extremely well stocked at receiver, however, with rookie speedster Jacob Cowing having missed much of OTAs and minicamp, it would be no surprise to see San Francisco add another deep weapon to its ranks.
Hardman's arrival would provoke painful memories for the Niners but, should the Chiefs let him go, the Niners may be willing to live with that to put their receiving corps in the best spot to atone for last year's crushing disappointment and finally get over the hump in the 2024 season.
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