49ers free agency: 3 cornerbacks to call with Jason Verrett out

49ers Free-Agent Option No. 1: Gareon Conley

Injuries could be a factor for the final free-agent cornerback on this list, Gareon Conley, another former first-round NFL Draft pick, ironically another former Las Vegas Raiders selection who never panned out with his original team.

Conley and D.J. Hayden’s flameouts with the Raiders have their respective reasons, although Las Vegas’ front office hasn’t exactly put together the best context for its players within the secondary over the years, so perhaps that matters.

But what might matter more is Conley is notably younger than the other two on this list anyway.

At 26 years old, it’s important to note Conley spent 2021 on the Houston Texans’ injured reserve list and didn’t factor into Houston’s own rebuild, which appears to be going through from the top down this season.

That said, the 6-foot-0, 190-pound corner was a regular starter the previous two years, and one might make the argument he’s only now hitting the prime of his career.

Adding Conley might be the perfect low-risk, potentially high-reward move that would beef up a position group needing reinforcements in the wake of Jason Verrett’s injury with the hopeful anticipation of Conley turning into a reliable starting option, too.

Either way, the Niners will need to make a move.