It was clear the 49ers’ pursuit of a cornerback in free agency wasn’t with the intention of finding a long-term answer at the position. They offered former Bronco Bradley Roby a one-year deal, and eventually signed oft-injured former Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett to a one-year contract. The fact they only pursued corners with one-year contracts says the 49ers are confident in their young group of corners to develop.
The first sign of that confidence is Verrett’s availability questions. He’s played just 25 games since being drafted in 2014, and missed all of 2018 with an Achilles injury. If the front office believed the 49ers desperately needed a starting-caliber corner ahead of their young players like Ahkello Witherspoon and Tarvarius Moore, they would’ve tried tracking down a more consistently reliable option.
There’s also the idea of adding to the competition. San Francisco wasn’t looking to replace Witherspoon and Moore. They were trying to add another player to the mix to catalyze competition. Verrett is the type of player who will do that if he’s able to play at full strength. He made a Pro Bowl in his only full season of games in 2015.
His size, 5-9, 190 pounds, is atypical of a cornerback in the 49ers’ defensive scheme. It would’ve made sense if the coaching staff was planning on sliding him down into the slot, but Verrett told reporters Thursday that he plans on competing for a job on the perimeter.
There’s a real chance Verrett steps in and steals the starting job if he stays healthy. That’s a gargantuan ‘if.’
His health history and one-year deal are an indicator that the 49ers believe their young cornerbacks have the ability to step up and take a starting job when faced with real competition. That story changes immensely if neither Witherspoon nor Moore assert themselves in the position battle, but for now Verrett’s signing says the 49ers believe they can.
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