3 veteran free agents San Francisco 49ers could still target
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: Cornerback Ross Cockrell
The 49ers appear to have their starting cornerback trio of Richard Sherman, Emmanuel Moseley and K’Waun Williams set for 2020. Ahkello Witherspoon could also compete for boundary starting duties should he shine in training camp and the preseason.
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Behind this group, though, there’s not a ton of proven depth. San Francisco brought back veteran corners Jason Verrett and Dontae Johnson on one-year deals, although neither has shown to be a reliable starting option should the team suffer a significant injury to one of the would-be starters.
A potential low-budget option with starter’s pedigree would be former Carolina Panthers cornerback Ross Cockrell.
The 28-year-old Cockrell has bounced around the league quite a bit since joining the Buffalo Bills in Round 4 of the 2014 NFL Draft. Journeymen defensive backs are usually an interesting bunch. But bouncing around and still sticking around has its merits, too, including familiarity with numerous systems.
Cockrell has a knack for getting in the way of passes, breaking up eight last year to be included with his 44 career pass breakups over his career.
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That kind of experience should bode well for a team needing some depth reinforcement to guard against any notable injuries at cornerback.