4 biggest remaining 49ers needs after the first wave of free agency
Here's a look at where the 49ers roster could still be improved as the free agency frenzy calms down.
By John Porter
Cornerback
The cornerback position was something of a revolving door for the 49ers last season, outside of second-team All-Pro Charvarius Ward and a solid season by Deommodore Lenoir.
Free agent signing Isaiah Oliver was bad enough to lose his job to a guy who stepped off a cruise, then got cut, while Ambry Thomas continued his rollercoaster of an up-and-down career by being both good and bad in equal measure, not just game-by-game but sometimes down by down.
Going into next season, the hole at either nickel (should Lenoir stay outside) or on the boundary (if Lenoir can play his arguably-stronger position of nickel) still needs a definitive answer, and so far, the team seems to be looking for someone to emerge from the lower reaches of the roster: either a younger player like Samuel Womack or Darrel Luter Jr taking a big stride forward and seizing a starting role, or coaxing a renaissance season (not unlike Tashaun Gipson two years ago) from budget free agents like Chase Lucas and Isaac Yiadom.
Regardless, rather than trying to hit a lucky dip jackpot, as the Shanahan/Lynch regime has been wont to do at times, it would be good to see someone nail down the third slot on the depth chart and finally fix the biggest running sore in the 49ers defensive backfield, particularly in an increasingly pass-happy NFL where multiple teams try to exploit the slot.
Not least division rivals like the Rams and the Seahawks.