4 SF 49ers who don’t deserve another season in 2022
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers cornerback Jason Verrett
The NFL can be a cruel business, and the emotional side of the argument would suggest veteran cornerback Jason Verrett should be welcomed back with the chance to prove he can both recover from his torn ACL suffered in Week 1 last season and subsequently play at the level the Niners enjoyed over the course of 2020.
San Francisco would be wiser, however, to let Verrett accept that challenge elsewhere.
The 49ers knew they were taking a major gamble on Verrett’s ability to stay healthy, highlighted by the fact a myriad of injuries kept him from playing all but six regular-season games between 2016 and 2019. And while 2020 was promising, the greater trend is having Verrett on some sort of injury list.
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It’s unfortunate, yes. But it’s also the reality of the situation. Verrett hasn’t shown he can stay regularly healthy.
A free agent this offseason, one who’ll turn 31 years old, even retaining Verrett on a veteran’s minimum one-year deal doesn’t make much sense when the Niners could instead look to backfill that roster spot with someone who’ll at least be more readily available than not.