3 burning questions for 49ers cornerbacks in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Is the 49ers depth at cornerback deep enough?
For now, it appears as if the Niners are set with their top three cornerbacks entering 2020: Richard Sherman, Emmanuel Moseley and K’Waun Williams.
Sherman managed to start 15 regular-season games last year, and he looked fully recovered from the 2017 Achilles tear suffered with the Seattle Seahawks and the subsequent ramifications of the injury, which followed him into his first year with San Francisco. Moseley, meanwhile, rose to the surface during the second half of 2019 and made the 49ers comfortable enough starting him in Super Bowl LIV. While Moseley’s efforts were far from perfect during the game, it’s pretty clear he’s the favorite to earn the starting job again to begin 2020.
Williams, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the league’s best nickel backs.
The real question here is what happens if the 49ers suffer an elongated injury to one of these three. True, the Niners have a starting-caliber boundary backup to support both Sherman and Moseley, Ahkello Witherspoon. But Witherspoon’s pro career has been up and down ever since he was selected by the Niners in Round 3 of the 2017 NFL Draft. Witherspoon lost his starting job to Moseley multiple times last season, and the former’s 61.0 overall Pro Football Focus grade last year doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence.
Neither Dontae Johnson nor Jason Verrett should inspire much confidence either, and third-year defensive back Tarvarius Moore seems better pegged for safety duties than cornerback.
Simply put, the Niners better hope their starting trio of corners stays healthy over the duration of 2020.