5 players SF 49ers should purge off other teams’ practice squads
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers Target No. 4: CB Deante Burton, Dallas Cowboys
Brian Allen’s misuse in Week 5 by San Francisco only illustrated a portion of what’s wrong at the position.
In addition to depth problems there, the SF 49ers are facing a very real crisis about their long-term options. Veteran corners Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett, K’Waun Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon are all pending free agents in 2021, while fellow cornerback Emmanuel Moseley is a restricted free agent.
It’s highly unlikely the Niners are able to bring back the majority of those names, meaning San Francisco’s secondary will look awfully different next season.
With that as a backdrop, it wouldn’t hurt to explore some players whose ilk fits into what defensive coordinator Robert Saleh prefers. And at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Dallas Cowboys practice-squad converted cornerback Deante Burton looks to be the part.
Burton, a 2017 undrafted free agent who has bounced around the league a bit since, has primarily seen time on special teams over his career. But he had a decent pedigree coming out of college at Kansas State and boasted a halfway decent 4.53 40-yard time during his pro day.
He wouldn’t be a long-term, starting-caliber solution. As far as the Niners’ future depth, though, he’d be worth a serious look.