49ers bring back two cornerbacks to compete for spots

The 49ers are bringing back two cornerbacks to compete for roster spots in 2020. Free agents Jason Verrett and Dontae Johnson were re-signed to one-year contracts, the team announced Monday.

Verrett, who turns 29 in June, signed with San Francisco last offseason to reinvigorate a once-promising career derailed by a slew of injuries. But Verrett appeared in just one game, allowing a long touchdown pass in Week 2 against Pittsburgh, before recurring knee issues landed him on injured reserve.

Verrett has appeared in just five games over the last four seasons after going to the Pro Bowl in 2015. The Fairfield native was a first-round pick of the Chargers in 2014 after time at TCU following a stint at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Johnson, 28, has bounced around the league since getting drafted by the 49ers in the fourth round in 2014. He appeared in seven games for San Francisco as a reserve in 2019. He was let go following the 2017 season and spent time with the Seahawks, Cardinals, Chargers and Bills before returning to the team that drafted him.

Keeping Verrett and Johnson is unlikely to change the 49ers’ long-term thinking for the NFL Draft. The team’s four top cornerbacks, Richard Sherman, K’Waun Williams, Emmanuel Moseley and Ahkello Witherspoon are all entering the final year of their contracts making it likely San Francisco invests in the position during the draft beginning April 23.

The 49ers used a sixth-round pick on Virginia’s Tim Harris in 2019. Harris missed the entire season with an injury but is expected to compete for a spot this season. D.J. Reed, a fifth-round pick in 2018, will also be in the mix. The 49ers converted former cornerback Tarvarius Moore, a third-round pick in 2018, to safety last year.