San Francisco 49ers: Top 5 injury liabilities for 2020

No. 3: 49ers’ Richard Sherman and a questionable cornerback group

Just like the safety tandem, the Niners’ cornerback position has more than a few question marks entering training camp, and the starting boundary position is up for grabs except for veteran corner Richard Sherman.

The 49ers don’t exactly boast starting-caliber outside corners except for Sherman, so his value can’t be understated. His experience and teaching mentality are super valuable. Younger cornerbacks like Akello Witherspoon and Emmanuel Mosley have benefited from learning from Sherman. And just like the safety group, the Niners didn’t make a lot of moves here during the offseason.

Unless they’re seriously considering oft-injured veteran corner Jason Verrett to both stay healthy and start for all of 2020.

If the team loses Sherman for a lengthy period of time, it loses the advantage of his reputation and playing ability while also seriously testing depth that isn’t quite there.