3 players 49ers could trade before 2020 season begins
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon
This is the least likely player to be moved, considering the 49ers’ relative lack of depth at the position. But if last year’s results are any indication, fourth-year cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon‘s tenure in San Francisco is in jeopardy.
Witherspoon has had an up-and-down career since being drafted back in 2017. Going from a top-starter candidate to a second-year regression, promising again in 2019, then losing his job to fellow corner Emmanuel Moseley multiple times, it makes sense general manager John Lynch is putting a lot of pressure on Witherspoon to bounce back in 2020.
Both for his immediate and long-term future.
Should Witherspoon make the roster, he’ll likely serve as the primary backup to both Moseley and the veteran, Richard Sherman, which is fine. But depending how depth corners Jason Verrett, Tarvarius Moore, Dontae Johnson and DeMarkus Acy look in camp and the preseason, it wouldn’t be too shocking to see Witherspoon drop down the depth chart a bit.
And if he’s traded, albeit for a late-round pick, San Francisco could clear up over $2 million in cap space.
Granted, teams rarely like to trade for players entering the final year of a contract. Yet there are always those pesky injuries popping up in camp and preseason games, sometimes mandating a team getting aggressive on the trade market.
If there’s a trade offer for Witherspoon, the 49ers could easily listen and entertain it if they don’t see him a part of their long-term plans beyond this season.