San Francisco 49ers: Ranking 5 biggest offseason targets in 2019

The 49ers need an upgrade over second-year cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon in a bad way. While there’s always the hope Witherspoon bounced back from his massive sophomore slump, there’s equally the chance what we’re seeing with Witherspoon in 2018 is the reality of what’s to come.

And as of now, the experiment to get rookie defensive back Tarvarius Moore transitioned to boundary cornerback is taking its time. That’s a no guarantee either.

The NFL Draft might be a means by which San Francisco addresses this need. One top cornerback, LSU’s Greedy Williams, could be on the Niners’ radar. But he’s a bona fide first-round selection, likely to go within the top 15. The 49ers’ wish list this offseason places another target with their first pick, so Williams is out of the discussion for now, unfortunately.

Instead, John Lynch uses free agency to fill the void.

The Los Angeles Chargers’ Jason Verrett unfortunately suffered a season-ending Achilles injury before the regular season even began. This’ll unquestionably hurt his free-agent value. But there’s little denying he’d be an upgrade over Witherspoon.

And at 27 years old, the Northern California native still has plenty of years left at the pro level.

Plus, Verrett and the Chargers employ a similar Cover 3 defense to the one used by Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Remember, Saleh and Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley both stem from the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive system.

So it should be a relatively seamless transition for Verrett, both in terms of defensive scheme and making the move from Southern California to Northern California.