49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley has lot to gain, lose in 2020

For the most part, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley had a solid 2019 campaign, yet his future role for the upcoming season remains in doubt.

If San Francisco 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley didn’t gaffe on that 44-yard third-down completion by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to wide receiver Tyreek Hill in Super Bowl LIV, there would likely be a massively different narrative about the future of the Niners secondary heading into 2020.

But Moseley did gaffe, and now the defensive backfield is looking like San Francisco’s No. 1 need this offseason.

For good reason, too.

The 49ers need to think about replacing aging cornerback Richard Sherman, who enters a contract year and will turn 32 years old later this month. Behind Sherman, both Moseley and fellow corner Ahkello Witherspoon sit on the depth chart.

And there aren’t exactly a lot of proven, reliable options after that.

If Moseley and Witherspoon both looked promising enough over the course of 2019, Sherman’s eventual departure wouldn’t seem too pressing an issue. But one might recall how Moseley replaced Witherspoon at multiple times during the regular season, first for a number of weeks when Witherspoon suffered a foot sprain in Week 3, then again late in Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks, when Witherspoon was burned multiple times during Seattle’s comeback attempt.

Then again in the playoffs, too, when Witherspoon was beat by Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs for a touchdown in the divisional round.

On the positive side, Moseley generally held his own for much of his on-field tenure, finishing with a respectable 70.0 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus, to go along with an interception and eight passes broken up.

Yet that’s far from an indication the 5-foot-11 former undrafted free agent is a shoo-in to secure a starting role this offseason.

The 49ers are going to look hard at Witherspoon during training camp and into the regular season, considering he’s entering a contract year and will have more than enough on the line as well. Given he flashed signs of being a lockdown corner, such as late his rookie season and early in 2019, it’s likely Witherspoon gets some favorable reps in training camp.

Yet Witherspoon’s inconsistencies open the door for Moseley to assert himself on the depth chart. At least from a financial standpoint, the exclusive-rights free agent (meaning Moseley can only negotiate with San Francisco) is going to be a much cheaper option for the foreseeable future.

But that only applies if Moseley winds up outperforming his direct competition between now and Week 1.

And if the Niners add another corner in free agency or the 2020 NFL Draft, there’s going to be much more working against Moseley this upcoming year.

Still, there’s just as good a chance Moseley showcases all the reasons why the 49ers seemed so high on him last year. While his Super Bowl mistake was ugly and possibly cost San Francisco the game, the entire body of work is still promising.

Will it be promising enough, though?