3 reasons why 49ers’ Ahkello Witherspoon improves in 2019
No. 2: Consistency at the other cornerback slot
Much was made of former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman‘s coming to San Francisco last season; a move that proved to be beneficial for both sides.
Sherman continued his quality over the last several years, best noted by this statistic:
Richard Sherman has been one of the most dominant corners in the NFL for the past five seasons. #ninernation pic.twitter.com/SY3bTRqY6X
— PFF SF 49ers (@PFF_49ers) June 2, 2019
And while Sherman’s overall PFF grade was also solid, it’s easy to forget that his traditional stats were a little underwhelming, as he finished 2018 without an interception for the first time in his career.
Further, while Sherman did play and start 14 games for the 49ers in 2018, he was often on the injury report and at times looked slower than he’d had been in years past.
It might have been unfair, however, to expect him back at full strength, as the Achilles tear he suffered in 2017 is generally thought to be an injury that takes well more than a year to come back from.
The point is, if Sherman is capable of continuing his dominance in terms of passer rating allowed but can also show a slight return to form in terms of interceptions and passes defended, it might help give Ahkello Witherspoon some confidence in terms of the man covering the other side of the field.