San Francisco 49ers: Predicting a Week 1 53-man roster, depth chart for 2018

Cornerback (8)

Left Corner: Richard Sherman, Jimmie Ward, Tyvis Powell

Right Corner: Ahkello Witherspoon, Tarvarius Moore, Tarvarus McFadden

Nickel: K’Waun Williams, D.J. Reed

Like safety, the Niners don’t have too many questions with their starting crop of cornerbacks this season.

One of San Francisco’s biggest free-agent moves, three-time All-Pro Richard Sherman, automatically assumes a starting job despite coming off a serious Achilles injury last season. By all accounts, he’s looking to be fully ready for the start of training camp:

Meanwhile, second-year corner Ahkello Witherspoon will look to build upon a promising rookie 2017 effort opposite Sherman.

There’s going to be a bit of a battle between veteran nickel back K’Waun Williams and rookie fifth-round pick D.J. Reed, but we’ll assume Williams wins the starting job out of the preseason, while Reed develops into a possible long-term replacement.

Now about the depth.

After missing half of 2017 with a broken forearm, veteran defensive back Jimmie Ward lost his starting safety job to Adrian Colbert. Ward, who is playing on his fully guaranteed fifth-year option, is an expensive backup but someone capable of playing multiple positions within the secondary. That’s vital insurance, especially with Sherman’s injury concerns.

As far as the back end of the depth chart, look for undrafted free agent Tarvarus McFadden to make the cut. He might be a regular member of the weekly inactive list, particularly as there are concerns with his straight-line speed, yet his positive traits outweigh the negatives.

Lastly, veteran corner Tyvis Powell spent time in OTAs working with the first-team unit. He’ll make the cut too, particularly if he can help on special teams.