49ers roster: 5 players who desperately need a great preseason

No. 1: 49ers cornerback Ambry Thomas

At the end of 2021, then-rookie cornerback Ambry Thomas’ stock was at a notable high and starkly contrasted the early struggles he had previously in the year. And despite San Francisco adding cornerback Charvarius Ward in free agency, then doubling down by drafting corners Samuel Womack and Tariq Castro-Fields, Thomas was still very much in the running to be a key part of the secondary this season.

Initially, one might have concluded Thomas would push out his fellow 2021 draft-mate, Deommodore Lenoir, for a final spot on the cornerback depth chart.

However, throughout almost all of training camp, it’s been Lenoir who has grasped the sense of urgency, while Thomas seems to regularly give up chunk plays of 20-plus yards each day.

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The maddening inconsistency is indicative of where Thomas was at early on during his rookie year and not towards the end of it. And while it’s possible he winds up getting back to form in actual game situations, right now, he’s buried deep down on the depth chart behind players like Lenoir and Castro-Fields, both of whom have seen significantly more work with the second-string unit, whereas Thomas has been demoted to the third-stringers.

Unless Thomas turns things around in a hurry by executing in the preseason, there’s a good chance his tenure with the 49ers could be a one-and-done year.