49ers’ 2019 ‘Who Is?’ series: Cornerback Dontae Johnson

The San Francisco 49ers brought back a familiar face earlier this offseason, cornerback Dontae Johnson, who still has an uphill fight to make the 2019 53-man roster.

It was probably something of a shock for most fans when they saw the San Francisco 49ers elected to bring back one of their former cornerbacks, Dontae Johnson, signing him to a one-year deal.

Yet the move made a bit more sense when news broke the Niners were bumping second-year pro Tarvarius Moore from cornerback to his natural position at free safety. San Francisco had a pressing need there during OTAs, due to injuries, which meant there was essentially a void at cornerback on the 90-man offseason roster.

Johnson, the 49ers’ Round 4 pick from the 2014 NFL Draft, saw his role decrease over his first four years in San Francisco, and he spent 2018 with three separate teams — the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals — after the Niners elected not to retain him.

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And he only appeared in one game last season, anyway.

On one hand, Johnson’s 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame seems to fit what the Niners like to do on the boundary within their secondary. On the other, though, Johnson’s efforts in this same scheme back in 2017 were far less than adequate.

Should Johnson stand a chance to hang around this season, what will he have to do to improve his stock value?

Why Dontae Johnson Improves in 2019

Well, to be fair, it can’t get much worse. Just consider the following Pro Football Focus data from Johnson’s last full year as a starter:

Johnson is still just 27 years old, so there’s plenty of age room for improvement. And one might draw the conclusion he recognizes this could be his last shot in the NFL after bouncing around with so many teams a year ago.

Familiarity with the system should help, as would the likelihood he won’t be asked to assume a prominent role this season, either.

But that also works against him.

Why Dontae Johnson Regresses

Even with Moore moving to free safety during OTAs, the fact he can double as a boundary cornerback could afford the 49ers to free up a roster spot for one of the other crowded areas on the team’s depth chart.

San Francisco is far more invested in Moore, both as a safety and corner, than it is with Johnson at this point. And even with Moore getting reps at safety, Johnson is still looking up at fellow corners Ahkello Witherspoon and Jason Verrett on the depth chart, too.

Barring injury, both Witherspoon and Verrett are safely on the 53-man roster in Week 1. Johnson is essentially competing for a No. 4 boundary corner job, which means he won’t get excessive reps with either the first- or second-team units in training camp later this summer.

It’s hard to improve when the chances simply aren’t there, and his last on-field efforts with the 49ers weren’t exactly anything to build on, either.

Chances of Making the 49ers’ 53-Man Roster in 2019

Putting things simply, they’re pretty slim.

One could look at Johnson as the 90th man on a 90-man offseason roster, right now, and there wouldn’t be too much argument to it. Typically, teams carry six cornerbacks on a regular-season roster, with four reserved for boundary duties. Right now, one would guess the Niners have those names penciled in: Witherspoon, Verrett, Moore and Richard Sherman.

Moore’s potential long-term switch back to safety helps increase Johnson’s chances to a certain extent, yet there’s going to be plenty of depth competition in camp for that likely final spot.

Given Johnson’s previous run with the 49ers, it wouldn’t be shocking at all if he was merely brought in because he understands the system. Not because he thrived in it, which points him squarely towards being a camp body. Nothing more.

Johnson could turn heads in training camp and the preseason, sure. For now, though, he’s most likely on the outside, looking in.