SF 49ers: 5 practice squad players who may have roster spots by Week 4
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: SF 49ers Cornerback Dontae Johnson
The SF 49ers sure love cornerback Dontae Johnson being the 53rd or 54th man on their 53-man roster, don’t they?
Johnson, as expected, didn’t make the initial regular-season roster. Last year, however, provided a great example of how the Niners view him, though, as he was signed and re-signed a total of three times before being let go again at roster cuts.
Only to sign on with the practice squad.
Cornerback is one spot where there could be some attrition this year, and one name in particular stands out: Jason Verrett.
Verrett, whose lengthy injury history includes appearing in just six regular-season games dating back to the start of 2016, means San Francisco can’t be too comfortable with his health despite Verrett making the cut. Even if Verrett isn’t quite expected to start this season, namely after suffering a minor hamstring injury late in training camp, additional setbacks for the 29 year old seem to be closer to the “guaranteed” category than the merely “possible.”
As such, it made sense the 49ers wanted to keep someone like Johnson around, given he understands the defensive scheme and was even a full-time starter for San Francisco and the current defensive alignment back in 2017.
Johnson will go through his seemingly regular re-sign process with the Niners here soon.