Both of San Francisco’s top cornerbacks are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents next season.
The San Francisco 49ers exceedingly upgraded their cornerback depth this offseason, adding several players to the roster to compete ahead of the 2024 season.
In free agency, the 49ers signed Isaac Yiadom, Rock Ya-Sin, and Chase Lucas, while the team drafted Florida State cornerback Renardo Green in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
They’ll join a group of incumbents headlined by top duo Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, with Ambry Thomas, Darrell Luter, and Samuel Womack all returning as well.
One commonality with the group? A majority of the top players are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents in 2025, which includes both Ward and Lenoir, placing a big emphasis on competing for a championship this season.
How could the cornerback room shake out, both for 2024 and the future?
The top cornerbacks
Ward and Lenoir return as the headliners of the group after posting strong seasons as San Francisco’s outside cornerbacks in 2023.
Ward, who earned AP All-Pro Second Team honors this past season, has been one of the best additions for the 49ers since they signed him to a three-year, $42 million deal in 2022.
Lenoir, on the other hand, has developed from a fifth-round pick benched as a rookie to a frontline starter who should command a nice salary as a free agent on the open market next offseason, assuming the 49ers don’t extend his contract before then.
With both being free agents next offseason, it begs the question of whether the 49ers will be able to keep the duo together, given the rising costs of their roster.
With void years attached to his contract, Ward will carry a $12.298 million dead cap charge next offseason, which could incentivize the 49ers to extend his deal to avoid taking that hit.
However, with the All-Pro-level cornerback going into his age-29 season in 2025, the 49ers may choose to go the younger, and cheaper, route by extending Lenoir, who will be entering his age-26 season next year.
There still remain questions of whether the 49ers ultimately view Lenoir as an outside cornerback or in the nickel, as San Francisco signed several outside corners, such as Isaac Yiadom, in free agency, while drafting a player in Renardo Green who flourished on the outside in college.
But, after a good season on the island in 2023, Lenoir could look to be paid as an outside cornerback on his next deal, even if he moves to the inside in 2024.
It feels that San Francisco will have to make a decision between one of their two top cornerbacks, and that choice should come before free agency next year, allowing the 49ers to beat the market and head into the offseason with some stability after the season.
The depth
Behind Ward and Lenoir is where things begin to get tricky.
The 49ers struggled at their No. 3 cornerback spot in 2023, bouncing between free agent signee Isaiah Oliver and 2021 third-round pick Ambry Thomas, which ultimately moved Lenoir around between the outside and the nickel.
That prompted them to sign Isaac Yiadom, who had the best season of his career in 2023, in free agency, providing some extra competition for the third spot.
San Francisco also guaranteed Rock Ya-Sin over $1 million in free agency, looking to acquire more veteran bodies in the room.
They’ll compete with Thomas, Darrell Luter, and Samuel Womack, while Renardo Green is a clear lock to make the roster.
It feels that the quartet of Thomas, Luter, Womack, and Ya-Sin are fighting for the last two roster spots behind Ward, Lenoir, Yiadom, and Green, which means it’s make-or-break offseasons for San Francisco’s young group of cornerbacks.
Of the bunch, Luter was a player the 49ers evaluated as a good system fit in that press-man role on the outside last offseason when taking him in the fifth round, and he and Womack are the only ones to have team control past this season.
The hope is that Green can fight for a starting spot early, and the 49ers have shown a willingness to let rookies compete, with Lenoir, Thomas, and Womack all getting early run in their careers to prove themselves.
Should Green win a starting job, the 49ers would have two flexible corners in 2024, and likely get their outside cornerback duo for 2025 with the second-rounder and one of the incumbent starters.
But, this group has significantly increased its depth this offseason and should provide one of the more intense camp battles on the roster.
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