49ers free agency: Predicting which free agents Niners re-sign

Offensive guard Laken Tomlinson #75 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Offensive guard Laken Tomlinson #75 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Dontae Johnson, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers defensive back Dontae Johnson (27) Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

49ers 2022 NFL free agency predictions: Cornerback Dontae Johnson

It’s inevitable: Dontae Johnson will be back with the 49ers as a reserve cornerback in some capacity in 2022.

Perhaps re-signed, then cut, re-signed again and so on. That just seems to be what’s always in store for Johnson on a perennial basis.

Things are tough for the proverbial 53rd man on a 53-man depth chart, but the Niners seem to value Johnson’s versatility and ability to back up both boundary spots and at nickel. On top of that, Johnson managed to get into 16 regular-season games and started three of them when San Francisco was hurting for experienced starters last year, too.

The 49ers are likely to prioritize the infusion of talent to their cornerback room this offseason, which isn’t necessarily good news for Johnson.

However, the previous history suggests the Niners will want to keep someone like Johnson around, if for no other reason than to add some insurance.

Prediction: Re-signed for one year, $1 million