49ers’ 2019 ‘Who Is?’ series: Cornerback K’Waun Williams

Despite the San Francisco 49ers’ woes in the secondary in 2018, nickel cornerback K’Waun Williams put in a solid campaign and looks to do so again this upcoming season.

Pro Football Focus ranked the San Francisco 49ers secondary dead last in the league after 2018.

But that wasn’t exactly because of the efforts from veteran nickel cornerback K’Waun Williams.

Williams, who just turned 28 years old, was one of the Niners’ first free-agent pickups back in 2017 and served the team’s secondary well during his first year in San Francisco. Last season, despite all that went wrong in the defensive backfield, Williams remained one of the more consistent pieces on the defensive side of the ball.

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Williams, who came over to the 49ers with a bit of an injury history, did suffer some injury setbacks again last year. But they weren’t particularly major, and the hope is he has a clean bill of health in 2019.

If that’s the case, and with a revamped front seven in front of him, what’s the prognosis for Williams’ efforts this year?

Why K’Waun Williams Improves in 2019

Despite his small 5-foot-9 frame, Williams has long played bigger than his size would indicate.

And while boundary cornerback Richard Sherman was San Francisco’s best player in the secondary, Williams wasn’t far behind. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams finished with a 66.7 overall grade in 2018, which was just over two points below Sherman’s mark.

The 49ers spent considerable effort upgrading their pass rush during the offseason. If the idea a secondary is only as good as its pass rush allows it to be, Williams and Co. should have a much easier time staying in coverage and handling their assignments compared to last year.

As such, one could see a further spike in Williams’ production.

Why K’Waun Williams Regresses

Williams’ 66.7 grade was pretty good when compared to the rest of San Francisco’s secondary. But it was also the lowest PFF mark Williams has received in his career.

Whether or not that was a result of the Niners’ defensive ineptitude overall is anyone’s guess. But it’s possible he’s starting something of a career-path regression, too. He also allowed a career-high 107.4 passer rating to quarterbacks when targeted, per PFF, which also falls into the same speculation.

With San Francisco focusing on its pass rush, it’s possible Williams ends up seeing a lot more targets this season, as quarterbacks look to get the ball out quickly on inside-route slants where more of the field is available, compared to those on the outside.

If Williams struggles here, this could be a big reason why.

Projected Role and Impact for the 49ers in 2019

There could be a bit of a training camp competition between Williams and second-year pro D.J. Reed, who flashed some promise in Williams’ stead at times last season.

With $1.5 million in dead money and generating a would-be $1.068 million in cap savings, there’s no danger in Williams being cut before Week 1. He’ll be on the roster, if healthy, although things could get interesting in 2020 when Williams’ dead-money hit is just $750,000 with nearly $2.5 million in cap savings.

That could make Williams’ future an interesting one, and there’s little doubt he understands the implications of a bad 2019.

Still, Williams appears to be the favorite to reclaim his starting nickel role over Reed this season. And if he’s able to successfully respond to the upgraded 49ers defense, there’s a chance he winds up having one of those high-quality seasons the Niners were hoping for when he was signed back in 2017.

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