SF 49ers: 4 candidates for most-improved player in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: SF 49ers Cornerback Jason Verrett
Veteran cornerback Jason Verrett could be in line for a Comeback Player of the Year award after missing all but six regular-season games between 2016 and 2019 in tandem with both the Los Angeles Chargers and SF 49ers. After inking a one-year deal with the Niners last season, Verrett’s two-snap performance before going back on injured reserve didn’t prompt much faith in his re-signing last offseason.
Yet Verrett came back with a vengeance, earning the starting cornerback job and showcasing why he was such a highly touted prospect out of TCU before the 2014 NFL Draft.
To date, Verrett has 32 tackles, four passes defended and an interception while opposing quarterbacks are posting an 85.7 passer rating when targeting him in coverage.
Not bad at all.
Plus, Verrett has been the lone mark of consistency in an otherwise banged-up and ever-rotating crop of defensive backs this season.
It’s no small reason why Verrett has influenced San Francisco boasting the fourth-best pass defense in the league despite missing its top-two pass-rushers, Nick Bosa and Dee Ford, to season-ending injuries.
Verrett’s resurgence this season easily puts him on this list.