San Francisco 49ers: Creating the ideal starting lineup for 2018
By Peter Panacy
Cornerback
Left Cornerback: Richard Sherman
Right Cornerback: Jason Verrett
Nickel Back: K’Waun Williams
Another big free-agent move here. Remember, the 49ers can afford to spend a little money this offseason.
San Francisco 49ers
Like Adrian Colbert at safety, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon is having a rough second year at the pro level and is looking more and more like a one-year wonder. It’s possible he rebounds nicely and justifies the Niners’ third-round investment in him from 2017. But let’s not get too excited about that.
With Richard Sherman still having two more years remaining on his contract, San Francisco needs to find someone capable of absorbing all the targets Sherman would otherwise get on the other side of the field.
The Los Angeles Chargers’ Jason Verrett might be the best pure cover corner in the NFL when healthy. Sure, he’s a bit undersized for a boundary corner in a Cover 3 system. But he plays bigger than his 5-foot-10 frame suggests. And when put in zone (the 49ers use a lot of it), he’s just as potent as any big-bodied defensive back.
Plus, the Chargers run a very similar Cover 3 zone defense to what Robert Saleh employs in San Francisco — Saleh and Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley stem from the same Seahawks coaching tree.
There’s little reason yet to move nickel cornerback K’Waun Williams out of his starting role.