Photo courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers
With several key defensive responses coming to the free agency, is it time to panic? The 49ers could see a completely renovated high school this coming season.
Of all the key positions on the 49ers list, high school remains the biggest concern. Basically, the whole depth chart is up in the air with Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett, K’Waun Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon and Jaquiski Tartt becoming free agents. 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley was a restricted free agent but had just signed one two-year agreement for $ 10 million, while strong security Marcell Harris was resigned for a year. The only holder still hired is Jimmie Ward, a 49-year-old free security guard.
49ers’ Secondary 2021 Free Agents
- Richard Sherman – UFA
- Jaquiski Tartt – UFA
- K’Waun Williams – UFA
- Jason Verrett – UFA
- Ahkello Witherspoon – UFA
- Dontae Johnson – UFA
- Jamar Taylor – UFA
- Emmanuel Moseley – FRG
- Marcell Harris – FRG
Initial Outlook
As it stands today, the 49ers have Moseley and Ward at the head of the group with many questions behind them.
Moseley is a corner versatile enough to play outside or inside, giving the 49ers some options on how they want to approach the offseason. Outside of Moseley, there are four unproven cornerbacks on the list: Tim Harris, Mark Fields, Adonis Alexander and Ken Webster.
Ward was the 49ers ’free safety start last year, but is able to play either of the two safety points. Would it make sense to promote Tarvarius Moore to unleash security and bring Ward down to safe security?
The reason I’m suggesting these possible changes is for the simple fact that it will be difficult to renew high school in a low season. The 49ers have the daunting task of adding players with initial experience and / or youthful rise to develop next season. His free agency options may be limited if the 49ers re-sign the attack on Trent Williams for a potentially massive extension. The 49ers have a lot of project capital this year, but it’s usually a steep learning curve for developing defensive responses. Ideally, 49ers would like to keep their own agents free, but it seems unlikely, unless a difficult market allows 49ers to re-sign them with reasonable offers.
Free agency
As noted above, the 49ers ’approach to adding pieces to high school depends largely on whether they retain their largest pending free agent in the Trent Williams attack. Outside of the current 49ers free agent group, it would be stellar if they were able to retain K’Waun Williams to continue his role in Nickel Back. Williams is one of the most underrated players in the league with a premium position. Based on your previous comments, Richard Sherman is unlikely to return in a 49-year-old uniform. A combination of injuries and inconsistencies has probably followed its course for Tartt and Witherspoon.
Keeping Jason Verrett in a two-year deal at a reasonable price could be an advantage for both parties; I’m not sure other teams are willing to bet more on their services, given their injury concerns.
The 49ers don’t usually spend much on the defensive back with a greater emphasis on the defensive line to set the tone for high school. I would expect the 49ers to go on the business hunt in the second wave of free agency after bigger names of free agents like Shaquill Griffin of the Seahawks and William Jackson of the Bengals left the board.
Perhaps the 49ers are targeting veteran-free agents on one-year contracts, while completing high school with potential benefits to contribute to later. External cornerbacks like Xavier Rhodes of the Colts, Kevin King of the Packers and Troy Hill of the Rams come to mind. There also seems to be a good surplus of cornerbacks, such as Nickell Robey-Coleman of the Eagles, Justin Coleman of the Lions and Desmond King of the Titans. It might be upbeat thinking, but Lamarcus Joyner of the Raiders, Bradley McDougald of the Jets and Malik Hooker of the Colts are perfect for safety.
Draft
The 49ers enter the NFL draft with 10 draft picks, mostly with seven of the innings on day 3, including three fifth-round picks. As mentioned above, 49ers don’t usually spend much on high school through a free agency, so I hope the 49ers ’front office is proactive in this draft. Maybe he swaps to get his guys, but given the 49ers ’strong need to reorganize their depth, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. draft 3-4 defensive backs to round out the group.
General perspectives
The 49ers ’defensive philosophy has always prioritized the seven forwards in high school, but that doesn’t mean the team can be outdone with inferior talent – watch last season against the Miami Dolphins with Brian Allen. They will have to find a good mix of smart veterans and recruit prospects to achieve a respectable secondary level; retaining a couple of your own free agents could help your efforts with stability in the system. Depending on how the 49ers play their cards this offseason, the secondary could be the Achilles heel in their defense.
- Justin Wong
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Written by:
Justin Wong has been writing for the 49ers ’Webzone since 2017 while also directing an NFC West blog and podcast called Just The West. Feel free to follow him or direct any queries to @JustTheWest on Twitter.
The opinions in this article are those of the writer and, while so important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.
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