With 49ers OTAs in full swing, we’re taking a position-by-position look at the team’s roster to figure out the strengths, weaknesses, potential dark horses to make the team and other nuggets about the players who will be competing for jobs on the 53-man roster.
The 49ers’ defense has always been built front to back during head coach Kyle Shanahan’s tenure. However, it’s increasingly clear that a requisite level of cornerback play is required to contend with the quality of quarterbacks and receivers San Francisco will face en route to a championship.
Last offseason the team invested in free agent CB Charvarius Ward, but they didn’t make any similar investments this year despite losing CB Emmanuel Moseley in free agency.
It’s not unusual for this coaching staff and front office to lean on its own players before exploring outside options, and that’s exactly what they’re doing at CB this year in hopes it won’t have a pernicious effect.
There’s no doubt it can work, but it turns the potentially easy decision-making on an important unit into something of a hirsute process for Shanahan and his coaches. They can pencil in their two outside starters and their nickel. After that, everything is up in the air.
Let’s take a look at what the 49ers are working with at cornerback going into training camp:
Charvarius Ward
Ward’s arrival in free agency last year marked a significant moment for the 49ers’ secondary. He was stellar as the team’s top cornerback, and while he may not fall in the ‘shutdown corner’ category, he made life difficult for any WR he covered. It was rare that he was beat deep, and even more rare that a player racked up big yards after the catch on him. Ward is consistently around the ball and dropping receivers immediately after they make a catch. Coverage is obviously his top priority, but run stopping became something of a paramour last year for Ward as he turned in the best effort of his career in that area. Pro Football Focus gave him a 91.0 run defense grade – the second-best mark among all CBs last year. His tenacity on the outside changed the entire complexion of the 49ers’ cornerback room and he figures to be a key cog for their defense again this year.
Deommodore Lenoir
Lenoir didn’t start the year with a big role. By Week 3 though he had secured the starting nickel corner job. Then in Week 5 he was thrust into a starting role on the outside when Emmanuel Moseley went down with a torn ACL. Now Lenoir enters Year 3 penciled in as the team’s No. 2 cornerback. He won’t be handed the job, but if he picks up where he left off in the playoffs where he allowed a 38.5 percent completion rate and a 21.8 passer rating when targeted, he’ll quickly become a key piece for the 49ers’ secondary now and in the future.
Isaiah Oliver
Jimmie Ward’s exit in free agency and Lenoir’s emergence as a quality outside CB opened a nickel CB job for San Francisco. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks made it clear in a press conference that Oliver isn’t just some jabroni they added as a camp body. The team believed Oliver was the best nickel corner available. The 49ers added him on a two-year deal worth up to $6.75 million. He’s certainly been better as a pro since moving inside full time part of the way through the 2020 campaign. Injuries have limited him to just 16 games over the last two years, but he’s healthy now and doesn’t figure to be on the sideline in Oakleys. He’s in line to be the team’s slot CB.
Ambry Thomas
Thomas is a key player to watch in camp this year. He finished 2021 on track to be an ascending starter in the 2022 season. Instead, he wound up only contributing on special teams. It’s clear Thomas is talented. He was terrific down the stretch of that 2021 campaign. If he buckles down and plays well in camp, he could legitimately push for a starting job or a top reserve spot. If he struggles again, his time with the 49ers could quickly come to an end. The 49ers would love to see Thomas pull up his stockings and play well since his re-emergence as a viable NFL corner would provide some much-needed stability down the depth chart.
Samuel Womack
There may not be a more fascinating player on the defensive side of the 49ers’ offseason roster. It’s clear he has a je ne sais quois that makes him a quality CB. He walked on at Toledo and became their No. 1 CB. Then he joined the 49ers and won the starting slot CB job as a fifth-round pick during his rookie season. Lenoir eventually wrestled the slot CB job away, but Womack was the first CB off the bench when the 49ers had to do some shuffling. He’s a player like Thomas in that he may not necessarily need to win a starting job to have a positive impact on the roster. Depth at nickel could be a big deal, and Womack appears ready to provide it.
Darrell Luter Jr.
The 49ers would love to see Luter, a fifth-round pick this year out of South Alabama, make things difficult on his veteran teammates. He spent two years at Pearl River Community College before transferring to South Alabama where he became a full-time starter in 2021. In three seasons there he started 23 of the 34 games he played. He racked up 91 tackles, 23 pass breakups and five interceptions. His length and athleticism make him an intriguing project. It’s a longshot that Luter gets in the mix for playing time, but he can still contribute in Year 1 if he can carve out a special teams role and improve the team’s depth.
Qwuantrezz Knight
Knight spent all of last season on the 49ers’ practice squad after joining the club as an undrafted rookie. All options will be on the table for San Francisco as they try to iron out the back end of their unproven CB group. A lack of in-game experience could hurt Knight, but his experience on the practice squad last season could give him a leg up on some of the other player vying for roster spots. Knight could also be a practice squad candidate again to give the 49ers some internal options if they need to add to their roster during the year.
AJ Parker
Parker pulled off an impressive feat in 2021 when he made the Lions’ 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie. He played in 13 games that season with seven starts. He tallied seven pass breakups and an interception as a rookie. The following year he played in only three games while spending most of the season on the practice squad. San Francisco added Parker to a reserve/future contract in January. He’ll contend for a spot on the back end of the roster, but he could wind up as a veteran practice squad addition.
D'Shawn Jamison
Jamison was the only undrafted rookie cornerback signed by the 49ers following this year’s draft. He was a four-year starter in five years at the University of Texas. His size will likely force him to play on the inside as a pro where he has plenty of athleticism to play. Jamison’s real calling card in the NFL may come on special teams though. He was an electric return man for the Longhorns with a pair of kick return touchdowns and a punt return touchdown in his career. He’s likely vying for a practice squad spot, although it’s not a quixotic notion that he challenges for a roster spot given the uncertainty at the position.
State of the Roster
Here are the other positions covered so far in our State of the Roster series:
