49ers roster 2023: Isaiah Oliver the free-agent steal of the year?
By Peter Panacy
Grabbing Isaiah Oliver in NFL free agency might prove to be one of the more outstanding decisions the 49ers made this offseason.
The San Francisco 49ers' No. 1 NFL free agency move of the offseason was to pay big bucks to former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.
That'll make a massive impact, yes. But it shouldn't wholly overshadow another free-agent move general manager John Lynch made by grabbing former Atlanta Falcons cornerback Isaiah Oliver.
The 26-year-old Oliver, who played his college ball at Colorado, spent his first five seasons with Atlanta after being drafted by the Falcons in Round 2 of the 2018 NFL Draft. Not necessarily a ballhawk during his time there, the 6-foot Oliver was nevertheless effective as a coverage option on an otherwise lackluster Atlanta defense.
Year | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Passes Defended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | 14 | 23 | 1 | 7 |
2019 | 16 | 62 | 0 | 11 |
2020 | 16 | 70 | 0 | 6 |
2021 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 3 |
2022 | 12 | 37 | 1 | 7 |
Career | 62 | 203 | 2 | 34 |
The Niners, meanwhile, owned the NFL's best defense in 2022. And coming into the fray as their defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks' primary association is with the defensive backfield, meaning Oliver already has prominence and was likely a hand-picked commodity by Wilks when NFL free agency began last March.
Needless to say, Oliver should make a noteworthy difference.
Why did the 49ers sign Isaiah Oliver?
San Francisco experienced some notable turnover within its secondary during the offseason, namely losing two starting defensive backs in Jimmie Ward and Emmanuel Moseley.
Ward, who played nickel cornerback last season after the pleasantly surprising addition and performance of Tashaun Gipson at free safety, joined the Houston Texans during the offseason. And while the 49ers drafted a potential nickel replacement in Samuel Womack a year ago, the "win now" status of head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad mandated a better find.
Enter Oliver.
Last season, Oliver forced opposing quarterbacks to post a lowly 76.2 passer rating when targeting him.
That's the kind of effort the Niners would love to have from him in 2023.
How much are the 49ers paying Isaiah Oliver?
Nickel cornerbacks typically make much less than boundary corners, although one can argue they're just as important.
Either way, Oliver is still a relatively affordable commodity for San Francisco, which signed him to a two-year, $6.75 million deal during the offseason with $2.91 million guaranteed, according to Over the Cap.
Read more: Grading 49ers 2023 offseason: Free agency, staff changes and the NFL Draft
A little over $3 million per season is a bargain for a player who might have been the best free-agent option to fill this need.
Predicting Isaiah Oliver's role, impact for 49ers in 2023
During one of his first pressers as coordinator, Wilks told reporters, "We wanted to make sure we went out and got the best nickel in free agency. And that's what we went out and did."
Wilks' comments all but cement Oliver in as the 49ers' No. 1 nickel back, which should be failry obvious anyway based on both the move and contract offered. Combined with the relative lack of options to challenge Oliver outside of Womack, it's pretty obvious what the former's role will be within Wilks' defense.
About the only area in which Oliver might show some improvement is in turnovers, and those may come a bit easier with the Niners because of a much more formidable pass rush that'll force opposing quarterbacks to throw earlier than usual.
And that's where turnover opportunities arise.
Still, as long as Oliver stays healthy and maintains a solid level of play not unlike what he did for Atlanta the previous two seasons, San Francisco will be perfectly happy.
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