SF 49ers: Position report-card grades halfway through 2020

SF 49ers Secondary

Some may view giving the SF 49ers secondary a B-plus grade as a bit too generous, particularly when looking back at some of the ugly losses (ahem, Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins) they’ve endured this season.

But when considering everything, including all those injuries, it’s fair to state the Niners defensive backfield has overachieved this year by a lot.

Defensive backs Richard Sherman, K’Waun Williams, Jaquiski Tartt and Emmanuel Moseley have all missed significant periods of time this season, forcing San Francisco’s depth to become a primary X-factor in how well the team has performed overall on defense.

Considering the 49ers defense still ranks ninth best against the pass with a net total of 1,966 yards allowed and sits at No. 17, according to Football Outsiders, in this particular criteria without a bona fide pass rush, one should feel pretty good about how well the Niners secondary has performed this season.

A big reason why San Francisco’s secondary receives high marks here is because of veteran cornerback Jason Verrett, who has been awfully exceptional in his return back to form following seemingly year-to-year setbacks because of injuries.

To date, Pro Football Focus has him with a solid 78.3 overall grade on the season.

The SF 49ers defensive backs have gotten by without much of a pass rush at all, still limiting the damage done in all but three games where opposing quarterbacks have picked apart this particular unit.