49ers roster: 5 veterans who may not make 53-man group in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Ahkello Witherspoon and an uncertain 49ers roster at cornerback
Unlike wide receiver, the 49ers roster at cornerback doesn’t boast a lot of depth or recent investments. Behind Richard Sherman, K’Waun Williams and, to a lesser extent, Emmanuel Moseley, there’s not a lot of proven depth.
That’s the issue, which potentially means fourth-year defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon stands a better chance at making San Francisco’s 53-man roster in 2020 than many of the other players on this list.
Witherspoon, of course, looked good enough to earn a starting job his rookie season in 2017 before suffering his own regression the following year. Early in 2019, it looked as if Witherspoon shook those woes. But a foot injury hindered his development, and he’d eventually find himself losing starting jobs repeatedly to Moseley throughout the rest of the season.
Like Dante Pettis, Witherspoon has a lot on the line entering training camp. Unlike Pettis, though, Witherspoon’s dead-money hit this year is only $243,393.
It would likely have to take another one of the 49ers’ depth cornerbacks having a tremendous offseason, or a complete meltdown from Witherspoon, but there’s still a good chance the Niners’ third-round pick from 2017 fails to make the 49ers roster by Week 1.