The new-look 49ers defense: What will the 49ers do at slot corner, and what needs remain?
The 49ers already have a Week 1 ready defense, one that is poised to play even better than last season with the return of Nick Bosa. But there are some needs remaining.
Santa Clara, CA - One of the only remaining holes on the 49ers defense is the slot corner position.
K’Waun Williams might be the most underrated, and one of the most important players the 49ers have had on defense for the past three years. His performance at slot corner was admirable, and he did so both in coverage and in run defense, the latter of which he excelled at for a slot corner.
But Williams has presented his own set of problems as of late. He’s got an extremely long injury history, he’s going to be entering next season at age 30 - around the age that corners begin to fall off. Williams plays a position that traditionally is easy to replace - and not a position at which teams normally commit money to older starters.
Resigning K’Waun is still a possible if not likely scenario - the market for slot corners, and corners in general has moved very slowly so far, in large part due to a strong CB class which we will get into later. But considering the 49ers have already moved on to filling out the roster with depth - with the signing of veteran safety Tavon Wilson, it seems that the 49ers may not prioritize Williams, looking to get younger at slot CB.
Jimmie Ward has moved positions seemingly every other season. OK, that’s an exaggeration, but Ward’s biggest strengths are his versatility, tackling, and coverage ability on TEs and WRs. Ward did not start off the season well at his traditional position of free safety, but as Tarvarius Moore’s snap share at free safety increased, Ward began to have his role changed into more of a box safety/slot corner hybrid, which he excelled in. The 49ers would benefit a ton from a final position change to slot corner. With the high amount of non-base packages that the 49ers are forced to play to counter modern offenses, Ward would present arguably an upgrade over Williams at slot CB - while also putting Tartt in position to succeed at SS, and Moore at his best position of FS. It also allows the 49ers to play the more traditional single-high look and Cover 1, which Ward has not been able to do very well since 2019 - due to loss of range and speed on the back-end. Moore’s speed and instincts are put to use on the backend far better than in the box or in man coverage.
By moving Ward to slot CB, not only do you properly put all three of Moore, Ward, and Tartt in roles to succeed - you also don’t have to address slot corner in free agency or the draft.
In fact, right now - the 49ers on defense (on paper) could go into Week 1 with no changes and be a formidable unit.
DL: Nick Bosa, Javon Kinlaw, Arik Armstead, DJ Jones, Samson Ebukam, Zach Kerr, Kevin Givens, Jordan Willis, Kentavius Street, Dee Ford
Ford is up in the air, his contract structure could suggest that he believes he could return, and it’s been reported that he’s doing workouts. But for now, there should be zero expectations for Dee Ford - even when “healthy”, since his original injury in 2019, Ford has been ineffective at best. It’s unlikely that even if he’s healthy, he would be the level of contributor that he was in the past. Everything we get from Ford at this point is a bonus.
As for Nick Bosa, I’ve already outlined arguably the best precedent for Bosa’s triumphant return. Bosa, Armstead, Jones, Ebukam - and the very underrated signing of Zach Kerr should provide all the juice the 49ers need on the DL. Remember, this was a top unit without Bosa - and even without Hyder, it should stay that way. Kevin Givens was also quite good. I’m not very optimistic about a Kinlaw breakout, but that would be the cherry on top.
However, this group could use one more impact DL - and this draft is not the one to find it. However, in free agency, high-level veterans such as Jadeveon Clowney, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Kerrigan, and Justin Houston are all available. Are they AnCieNT? Some, yes. But they can still be effective and cheap - a good combo.
Zach Kerr was honestly my favorite signing of the offseason. He’s a veteran, but he played very well for Carolina last season - and he comes cheap and at a position where the 49ers could use some vet leadership and depth. With Kerry Hyder gone, Armstead is the longest tenured player in the DL room. Kerr changes that.
LB: Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Azeez Al-Shaair, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
It’s clear that some depth needs to be added here, and here is where the first arguable need on the defense comes - and perhaps the only. The 49ers have been reported to have some LB depth visiting tomorrow - namely former Eagle Nathan Gerry, but the position of need here is the SAM spot. Warner and Greenlaw will man the MIKE and WILL, but considering the new DC is a former LB coach - he will likely want an upgrade over Al-Shaair, who is good but not ideally a starter. Now, it needs to be said that the slot corner often replaces the SAM on this defense, and our base defense isn’t really a thing - nickel, dime, or any other package with a slot corner on the field takes the SAM off and those are played at a very high rate.
But look for the 49ers to possibly acquire someone in free agency, or draft someone in the mid-late rounds to play SAM. I personally like Charles Snowden, a hybrid EDGE/LB out of Virginia as a perfect fit. Snowden is expected to go in the 4th to 6th round - ideal territory for such a pick-up, and is dripping with physical talent. He’s 6 foot 6 inches, 240 pounds, and surprisingly fast for his size. He can set the EDGE or drop back on any given play, and he notched 44 tackles, 10 TFLs, and 6 sacks last season for the Cavaliers. While he’s raw, he’s the type of developmental SAM LB that would be ideal in this defense - and he knows it too. Listen to him talk about what he thinks his NFL role will be:
CB: Jason Verrett, Emmanuel Moseley, Briean Boddy-Calhoun, Mark Fields, Adonis Alexander, Tim Harris Jr
Ward moving back to CB would make this group far better than it looks right now. Boddy-Calhoun is actually a decent slot corner and has had good seasons, perhaps he has a K’Waun-like career renaissance. As for Fields and Alexander, perhaps one makes the end of the roster as depth - Alexander is very physically talented. Harris Jr… is a complete unknown. The 2019 6th round pick is not to be relied upon but could be a pleasant surprise.
Verrett and Moseley are penciled in as the outside corners, Ward or Boddy-Calhoun could be the slot corners - but the 49ers clearly need to add some more depth and likely a developmental future corner to replace Verrett - who’s only on a 1 year deal. The 49ers could also look at someone like AJ Bouye - someone who’s been outstanding in this scheme, the low-risk high-reward signing that this front office has become famous for. If the 49ers look to the draft, someone like Jevon Holland (I’ll get into why he’s a fit later) or Elijah Molden would be ideal as a mid-round plug and play starter at the slot corner position. In free agency, someone like Brian Poole would be outstanding as a value pickup right now. Or for the vet, Chris Harris Jr might be cheap and likely has a little gas left in the tank.
S: Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt, Tarvarius Moore, Marcell Harris, Tavon Wilson, Obi Melinfonwu, Jared Mayden, Kai Nacua, Chris Edwards
We have a lot of safeties. With that being said - Moore and Tartt, as mentioned before is arguably just as good as Ward and Tartt, with the added benefit of Ward in the slot. You would like to see better depth, as Tartt and Ward are injury-prone and it’s likely that a reserve player will have to play serious snaps. Obi Melinfonwu is very talented but has not been able to stick anywhere, suggesting that coaching may not be the issue. Regardless, he’s a sleeper roster competitor at strong safety, but don’t be surprised if the 49ers try to address safety in the draft with a more long-term option. Someone like Oregon’s Jevon Holland would be ideal in the 3rd to 4th round - a safety that can play single-high or in the box, and one that’s outstanding in the slot. He’s a true slot corner/safety hybrid.
In general, it’s clear that the 49ers went into free agency with a plan and executed it masterfully. The defense as it stands right now is already a complete unit - all that is missing is depth, and possibly a small upgrade here and there.
My question is, what would this suggest about the draft strategy, considering that SF addressed the OL with Williams and Mack as well? Honestly, outside of depth on this roster - there are not that many needs left. And with so many picks in this draft, I think we will see a very active and aggressive John Lynch come draft night.
Trade up to 3 blew my mind
Great article as always, we are in a prime spot to grab a qbotf with our current roster and drafting spot. I think we are definitely a playoff team as we stand. If we get improve play at and good health luck, this team is a sb contender. Mack gonna have a big impact at C and keeping the OL working as a unit. At DE, ebukom could really flourish if his tech improves. Bosa will be the main attraction on the DL, so samson should see alot of 1 on 1.
Best plan of attack for us should be QB in rd 1, OT in rd 2 and CB in rd 3.