It didn’t take long for the 49ers’ cornerback conundrum to become a full-out red alert.
But here comes accomplished veterans Josh Norman and Dre Kirkpatrick. And there goes exciting rookie fifth-round draft pick Deommodore Lenoir.
Maybe that blend of experience and youth will give San Francisco what it has been lacking and looking for all along on what was shaping up this summer as the weakest position on a stocked roster bent on getting back into Super Bowl contention.
The 49ers better hope so. Because they just got a whole lot weaker when No. 1 cornerback and defensive leader Jason Verrett was lost for the season in Week 1 with a torn ACL, the latest in a long line of injuries that have sabotaged his promising career.
“Guys have stepped in and done really well,” 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said. “But you don’t compensate for the loss of a guy like Verrett. He’s a true pro, a great man, been an awesome leader for us. So it’s devastating to lose a guy like that, man. He’s one of the hearts and souls of our backend. It’s devastating news. You don’t replace a guy like Verrett.”
How well San Francisco can manage to do just that will likely play a significant factor in how well the team responds at a position that already was thin on veteran experience, sending the 49ers scrambling to add the best veterans still available on the open market in September and forcing them to reconfigure their plans at the position.
This story is from the October 2021 edition of Niner Report.
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This story is from the October 2021 edition of Niner Report.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
EIGHT IS ENOUGH
Set 49ers lineup still has several new starters
Calling all cornerbacks
Loss of Verrett exposes 49ers’ thin depth at CB
Always finding their way to run
49ers system accomplished at developing homegrown talent
ANOTHER COMEBACK?
Resilient veteran Verrett to miss rest of season
TOP 10 Rookie running backs
THE BACK LIST
STOCK UP STOCK DOWN
DEOMMODORE LENOIR | AMBRY THOMAS
Will Mostert run for 49ers again?
Raheem Mostert was primed this year to be the centerpiece of one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses, featured as the lead performer in San Francisco’s grinding rushing attack while making his climb among the league’s top running backs.
THE WONDER OF WARNER
49ers make All-Pro star highest-paid LB in NFL
Making the right choice at QB
In the weeks that follow after you read this — and perhaps sometime even sooner than that — Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers organization will make a titanic decision that will have present, future and perhaps even everlasting implications for the franchise. It will chart the course for the team’s pivotal 2021 season while determining whether San Francisco really does have the juice to return to powerhouse status and again be considered a legitimate contender to get back to the Super Bowl.
TOP 10 Linebacker seasons
Fred Warner vaulted to stardom with a spectacular 2020 season — and the 49ers rewarded him this summer with a $95.225 million deal that makes him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history. By today’s standards, Warner’s performance last year was worth the money as he posted an Approximate Value of 19 — matching the highest score ever recorded by a San Francisco defender according to a Pro Football Reference formula that puts a single number on each player-season across all positions since 1960. Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman (twice) also had seasons with an AV of 19 as they dominate this list of the greatest individual seasons by a linebacker in 49ers history.
