49ers mid-preseason 53-man roster projection for 2019

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GREEN BAY, WI – OCTOBER 15: K’Waun Williams #24 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates a defensive stop during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on October 15, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Cornerbacks

April (7): Richard Sherman, Ahkello Witherspoon, K’Waun Williams, Jason Verrett, Tarvarius Moore, Tim Harris

Mid-preseason (6): Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett, Ahkello Witherspoon, K’Waun Williams, D.J. Reed, Tim Harris (or Emmanuel Moseley)

The cornerback number going down might make most 49ers fans more than a little nervous, given the state of the team’s pass defense in 2018.

Part of the reason for the change is defensive back Tarvarius Moore has been moved back to his natural free safety position, so he no longer factors into this part of the defensive backfield.

The bulk of the position outside of Moore, then, is mostly the same. Richard Sherman will be the starter on one side of the defense, with Ahkello Witherspoon currently the odds-on favorite to take the opposite side, especially if Jason Verrett isn’t able to go for Week 1.

San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Speaking of Verrett, like several players listed at other positions here, he’s currently nursing that same high-ankle sprain as Nick Bosa. But similarly, I wouldn’t expect that it would keep him off the roster. It may, however, impact his early availability.

This makes the other outside corner slots quite important, even once Verrett gets up and running. Of this group, rookie Tim Harris out of Virginia has made a pretty good case for a roster spot, especially in Week 2 against Denver. According to this tweet, Harris bounced back from a tough first game:

If it’s not Harris, though, it could be Emmanuel Moseley, who is looked good throughout the preseason, and could prove a versatile piece at the position with some ability to play both slot or outside cornerback.

Whichever one of the two doesn’t make the roster, the 49ers will likely try to move to the practice squad.

The last area of focus is the slot cornerback position, which is expected to be manned by K’Waun Williams, who is currently being held out of the preseason, with hopes he’ll be ready for Week 1. That’s where D.J. Reed comes into play, as he figures to be the direct backup to Williams, and the starter if Williams can’t go.