49ers: 5 players who should see increased roles over rest of 2018

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SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 19: Ahkello Witherspoon #41 of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the sidelines during their game against the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium on August 19, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon

Like Solomon Thomas, Ahkello Witherspoon is another player who has seen his snap counts rapidly diminish from the start of the season, where he was essentially handed the 49ers’ No. 2 cornerbacking gig opposite Richard Sherman.

And in the case of Witherspoon, his repeated demotions might be even more concerning. He went from a starter to a rotational player, then to being benched on defense altogether in Week 6:

Ahkello Witherspoon 2018 Snap Count Table
								Snap	Snap	Snap	Snap
								Def.	Def.	ST	ST
Rk	G#	Date	Tm		Opp	Result	Pos	Num	Pct	Num	Pct
1	1	2018-09-09	SFO	@	MIN	L 16-24	RCB	71	100.0%	6	21.4%
2	2	2018-09-16	SFO		DET	W 30-27	RCB	64	83.1%	12	35.3%
3	3	2018-09-23	SFO	@	KAN	L 27-38	CB	40	53.3%	12	42.9%
4	4	2018-09-30	SFO	@	LAC	L 27-29	RCB	51	75.0%	2	6.3%
5	5	2018-10-07	SFO		ARI	L 18-28	RCB	29	56.9%	11	40.7%
6	6	2018-10-15	SFO	@	GNB	L 30-33	CB	0	0.0%	9	27.3%
		Total						255		52

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/17/2018.

Witherspoon suffered a concussion late in Week 6 on special teams, so he’ll have that to deal with in the immediate future. When he returns, however, San Francisco shouldn’t hesitate making him a regular contributor in the secondary.

And it seems like the 49ers are thinking the same thing, according to 49ers.com’s Joe Fann:

Kyle Shanahan says he still has high expectations for Ahkello Witherspoon. He'll get another shot at some point.
— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) October 17, 2018

Here’s the point — the Niners aren’t accomplishing anything by giving veteran defensive back Jimmie Ward increased reps. He’s assuredly gone after the final year of his rookie contract, which expires in 2019. Why waste valuable in-game experience on a player not seen as a part of the future?

And why look at someone like Greg Mabin, who was regularly victimized at the tail end of Week 6? He’s not the solution.

At least Witherspoon could be still. But if he isn’t, San Francisco could at least admit it gave the second-year corner an elongated look.

San Francisco 49ers: 5 players who should see increased roles over rest of 2018

By Peter Panacy | Oct 17, 2018

No. 4: Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon