The 49ers pass defense should get a boost from their new pass rushers, but they might also get some help from a player already on the roster. Cornerback Richard Sherman was the 49ers’ most consistent defensive back a season ago, but he believes he’ll be better in 2019 with improved health.
“I’m much healthier,” Sherman told Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee. “I was kind of out there on one leg.”
Sherman tore his Achilles in Week 10 of the 2017 season. He underwent surgery to repair that injury, and was ready to go for the start of the 2018 campaign.
He dealt with a variety of injuries throughout the year that stemmed from that repaired Achilles. Despite battling through various ailments, Sherman still managed to play 14 games for San Francisco.
It was clear throughout the year Sherman, then 30, wasn’t the same physically as he was when he was a perennial Pro Bowl selection through the earlier portion of the decade. He didn’t post an interception for the first time in his career, but he did have four pass breakups.
The idea of an improved Sherman is an enticing thought for a 49ers secondary that only notched two interceptions last season. Despite hitting the vaunted 30-years-old mark before the season and dealing with a devastating injury, Sherman still managed a respectable 68.9 overall grade from football analytics site Pro Football Focus. That ranked 50th of 131 players at his position.
Perhaps even more impressive is that he was still the least-targeted corner in the NFL, posting 12.6 coverage snaps per target. He also finished seventh with 0.72 yards per coverage snap per PFF.
If that’s what Sherman was able to do on one leg, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that he finds his way back to Pro Bowl form in 2019 with his health fully intact.
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