49ers 2020 training camp: One battle to watch for each position
By Peter Panacy
49ers Cornerback: Ahkello Witherspoon’s Pecking Order on the Depth Chart
It was a bit strange the Niners didn’t do more to address cornerback this offseason aside from re-signing depth corners Jason Verrett and Dontae Johnson, then inking UDFA corner DeMarkus Acy after the draft.
Fortunately, San Francisco is already set at two of the premier positions: Richard Sherman at the left corner and K’Waun Williams at nickel. And while he hasn’t totally locked it down just yet, Emmanuel Moseley appears to have the inside track to start on the boundary opposite Sherman.
Moseley’s rise in 2019 puts fellow cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon’s immediate future in doubt, though. Few players have gone through as many up-and-down moments as Witherspoon since the Niners selected him back in the 2017 draft. He looked all the parts of a starter his rookie year, regressed heavily in 2018, looked sharp early in 2019, was injured and then lost his starting job multiple times late last season.
The fact Witherspoon is entering a contract year also makes 2020 highly important, not only to his 49ers future, but his future in the league as well.
If Witherspoon is competing right alongside Moseley for starting duties in training camp, that’ll be a bonus. But if he’s losing first-team reps and competing more with Johnson and Verrett, that’s not a good sign moving forward.