49ers bring back oft-injured cornerback Jason Verrett on new deal

The 49ers are hoping they get the 2020 version of cornerback Jason Verrett, not the one who tore his ACL in Week 1 of the 2021 season.

The San Francisco 49ers just can’t seem to get too much of veteran cornerback Jason Verrett.

Healthy or not, the Niners have stuck by him in recent years, electing to re-sign him in 2020 after he appeared for just two regular-season snaps in 2019 before being shelved on injured reserve, then inking him again to a one-year deal in 2021 after Verrett played exceptionally well the previous year.

Except Verrett tore his ACL in Week 1 last season, landing him back on IR and ending his 2021 campaign.

Well, guess what? Verrett is back again on another one-year deal, the team announcing such on Monday.

49ers announce Jason Verrett is back for 2022

San Francisco spent considerable resources reinforcing its cornerback room this offseason, first by signing former Kansas City Chiefs corner Charvarius Ward and then using a mid-round NFL Draft pick on nickel back Samuel Womack, also grabbing fellow corner Tariq Castro-Fields in Round 6.

Along with returning defensive backs like Emmanuel Moseley, Ambry Thomas, Deommodore Lenoir and Dontae Johnson, among others, it should be a pretty fruitful offseason competition.

If healthy, Verrett could easily compete for a starting job opposite Ward, thereby allowing the 49ers to push Moseley into a nickel role, saving Womack from having to step into the fray right away.

“If healthy,” being the key point.

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Verrett appeared in only six regular-season games between 2016 and 2019. And while his 2020 efforts were mostly injury-free, all that came crashing to a halt during that Week 1 game last year against the Detroit Lions.

It has to be frustrating for Verrett, now 30 years old, to have his career derailed at so many turns. But at least the 49ers continue to have faith in him.

And while we don’t know the exact details of his new contract, it’s likely a bargain-basement deal anyway, meaning it’s a low-risk, potentially high-reward move if he’s able to stay on the field.

Hopefully, for his sake (and the Niners, too), he will.