49ers’ best, worst and most provocative moves in NFL free agency
By Peter Panacy
Worst NFL free agency move from 49ers: Letting Emmanuel Moseley walk
The 49ers’ defensive backfield was a strength to start out 2022, especially after the team inked former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward a year ago.
However, when the Niners lost Emmanuel Moseley to a season-ending ACL tear in Week 5, the cornerback room looked noticeably thinner. Granted, reserve corner Deommodore Lenoir rose to the occasion and put himself in a spot where he might start on the boundary in 2023.
That said, re-signing Moseley might have been a stronger play.
Moseley ultimately joined the Detroit Lions on a one-year, $6 million deal. And, as Sports Illustrated’s Jose Luis Sanchez argued, that’s cash that San Francisco could and should have offered:
"John Lynch indicated in his exit press conference back in early February, but the 49ers only wanted him back at their price. Clearly, $6 million is too much for them to invest for a guy coming off a torn ACL. That is a number that the 49ers easily could have matched and arguably would have been worth it. Moseley is a tremendous cornerback who was playing lights out in the first five games of the 2022 season before getting injured."
Read More: Emmanuel Moseley leaves Niners for Lions in free agency
$6 million for a starting boundary corner is cheap, and Moseley has been a tremendous defender.
Perhaps the 49ers weren’t comfortable in investing that kind of money in a player coming off a torn ACL, and that’s fine.
But Lenoir isn’t exactly an inspiring replacement at the moment, and this move could come back to haunt the Niners later.