49ers roster analysis: Where do things stand at cornerback in 2020?
This is the first of a nine-part series breaking down each position on the 49ers roster before the start of free agency begins March 18. Here, we’ll take a look at cornerback.
The biggest concern surrounding the 49ers’ defense heading into last season was the front office’s decision not to make a major investment in new personnel in the secondary. After all, the pass defense was the Achilles heal in 2018 and few players offered confidence they could be relied upon as good players a defense good enough to contend.
Jimmie Ward was in and out of the lineup because of injuries and would be switching positions from cornerback to safety. Ahekllo Witherspoon had a roller coaster second season that felt like canceled out the promise he showed as a rookie. And the only new addition to the group was Jason Verrett, a former first-round pick of the Chargers who was known more for a lengthy injury history than his talent.
But John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan were proven right. The team didn’t need a drastic makeover in the secondary. It simply needed more time to gel under new passing game coordinator and secondary coach Joe Woods — and to complement a vastly improved pass rush featuring Nick Bosa and Dee Ford off the edges.
What happened in 2019
The 49ers allowed 169 passing yards per game, the best in the NFL and best of any defense since the New York Jets in 2009, a full decade. Richard Sherman was back as one of the best cornerbacks of a generation, earning second-team All-Pro honors while getting named to his fifth Pro Bowl. He was fully healthy a year removed from his Achilles tear comeback and eager to prove skeptics wrong about what he could do as a 31-year old on an upstart team.
Opposite Sherman, however, was less solidified. Witherspoon got off to a tremendous start during his first two weeks, which included a game-sealing pick-six of Jameis Winston in the season opener. But then he sprained his foot against the Steelers, slowing the momentum he built coming off a strong offseason. And during his rehab, he sustained a quadriceps injury that kept him from playing until Week 10.
That allowed second-year pro, and former undrafted free agent, Emmanuel Moseley, to play well in Witherspoon’s place. Moseley (5-11, 184) didn’t have the same size and long levers as Witherspoon and Sherman. But he had the competitiveness and physicality to overcome it after a successful college career in the SEC at Tennessee, where he was challenged by elite level receivers on a weekly basis.
Moseley wound up starting nine games while Witherspoon started eight (Sherman missed the loss to Atlanta in December with a hamstring injury). Additionally, slot cornerback K’Waun Williams was one of the best in the league on the inside, showing the agility to cover shifty receivers and the physicality to make tackles near the line of scrimmage. He also forced four fumbles.
The cornerbacks, for the most part, were a significant strength on a defense with very few weaknesses. All the players mentioned above are signed through at least the upcoming season.
Changes looming
Witherspoon’s rookie contract is up after 2020 after being taken in the third round of the 2017 draft. He’s shown Pro Bowl potential, though his career has been a roller coaster to this point. He’s been benched each of the last two seasons. He and Moseley (an exclusive rights free agent, likely to return) will likely spend the offseason competing for the starting job opposite Sherman.
D.J. Reed, a fifth-round pick in 2018, is the only backup with a certain future on the team. Tim Harris, a sixth-round choice in 2019, missed the entire season due to injury after his college career at Virginia was plagued with health problems. Reserves Dontae Johnson and Verrett are unrestricted free agents.
How pressing is the need?
The 49ers may have more immediate needs at receiver (should Emmanuel Sanders leave in free agency), safety (ditto for Jimmie Ward) or the interior of the offseason line.
But San Francisco could use depth at cornerback, particularly after moving Tarvarius Moore to safety last spring. There doesn’t appear to be a sure-fire replacement for Sherman, who turns 32 this month and was beaten on go routes in the NFC title game and Super Bowl by younger, faster receivers.
Sherman remains a candidate for a contract extension and likely has at least two years left of high-level play. But it wouldn’t at all be surprising if the 49ers find a prospect early in this coming draft to groom as Sherman’s long-term replacement, particularly if Witherspoon doesn’t play well enough to stick around beyond the coming season.
Could Moseley be that player? His trajectory is clearing pointing upwards despite his gaff on third-and-15 against Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill. But the 49ers know better than to solidify plans for a player after just one good season. Moseley will need to be good again in 2020 to earn long-term trust from the front office.
Free agents and draft prospects to consider
Don’t expect San Francisco to dive deeply into the group of free agent cornerbacks. They simply don’t have the cap space for a starting caliber player. Look for them to address the position on the margins in free agency, not with a big name competing to start.
Neiko Thorpe or Kalan Reed of the Seahawks might make sense for scheme fit, as would bringing Johnson back. They are all cheap options who could push for roster spots. It remains to be seen if Verrett will ever play again given all his health issues.
In the draft: Jaylon Johnson (Utah), Bryce Hall (Virginia) or Trevon Diggs (Alabama) all seem like possible options on Day 2, though the 49ers don’t have picks in rounds 2 through 4, which would require some maneuvering and trading back from pick No. 31 in Round 1.
