49ers roster: 6 players who could be gone after 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: 49ers Cornerback K’Waun Williams
The 49ers secondary was supposed to experience significant free-agent attrition this offseason, yet a slew of one-year deals ensured the bulk of pending free agents would return for 2021.
At least on cheap, team-friendly deals.
K’Waun Williams has established himself as one of the best nickel cornerbacks in the league during his Niners tenure. But he’s also turning 30 years old before the start of the regular season, and he’s also coming off a 2020 campaign in which he missed eight games because of injuries.
Next year could easily mark the final chance Williams has to cash in on a lucrative deal. So if he balls out and plays well this season, he might easily price himself out of San Francisco’s comfort range. But if Williams begins to regress because of his age, or if he endures yet another injury-plagued season, the 49ers may look to move on anyway.
The Niners also added two rookie cornerbacks via this year’s NFL Draft, Ambry Thomas and Deommodore Lenoir, and the early hope is that one of those two players wind up taking over starting jobs from some of the veteran defensive backs.
Including Williams.
Despite Williams’ overly positive impacts on San Francisco’s defense, there’s an awfully good chance he’ll be playing elsewhere in 2022.