San Francisco 49ers: Predicting the 2019 cornerback depth chart
By Chris Wilson
The San Francisco 49ers need to utilize the 2019 NFL Draft and the free agent market to upgrade their roster over the offseason. Niner Noise breaks down the team’s cornerbacks, including 2019 depth chart projections and potential offseason additions.
The San Francisco 49ers enter the 2019 offseason with a number of obvious holes in the team’s roster. In the coming months, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan’s primary focus will be on the passing game — on both sides of the ball.
San Francisco went through three starting quarterbacks last season, yet their passing attack was essentially a one-man show. Sophomore tight end George Kittle‘s outlandish 2018 target share won’t be repeated in 2019, and can’t be relied upon by the 49ers’ management and coaching staff going forward.
The return of starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will help the team’s passing game, but the 49ers’ front office needs to add viable targets for their franchise quarterback, particularly given their wide receiving corps’ abysmal performance over the 2018 season:
https://twitter.com/cgawilson/status/1083812383070580736
On the defensive side of the ball, how bad was the San Francisco 49ers’ secondary last season? Pro Football Focus recently ranked the Niners’ secondary dead last in the NFL:
"32. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Richard Sherman’s presence could only do so much to prop up the league’s worst unit. The free agent corner only allowed 25 catches in 14 games this season, but injuries and a ton of busted coverages are why they still sit at the bottom. Eleven other players besides Sherman received at least 100 snaps in the secondary, and none graded higher than 66.7 overall."
But was the San Francisco’s secondary really the “league’s worst unit” during the 2018 season? Let’s take a look.