Slot CB: A contingency plan for K'Waun Williams

FanPost Author: RoachIt - Could we see Saleh mix positions again?

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With K'waun Williams suffering a minor calf strain, I got to thinking about the contingency plan at slot corner. The position is becoming ever more important, especially with players like Cooper Kupp and Larry Fitzgerald in the division. A good slot wideout can pick a defense apart, eight yards at a time, and if in the right offense, can be a true #1 receiver. Williams is very quietly a top five slot corner, capable of neutralizing most slot receivers, and a key component to one of the best defenses of this past season. Just look at what Pro Football Focus had to say:

A true slot/nickel cornerback, Williams plays well through the heavy traffic that is inherent to the position, and he has excellent field awareness that allows him to react well to screens and completions in the flat area. Mostly a zone defender in nickel, Williams has read the patterns of route combinations well enough to hold opposing offenses to the lowest average depth of target (3.8) among all cornerbacks who played at least 300 coverage snaps in 2019. He's allowed just 8.1 yards per reception all year long — second among qualifying players at the position — while giving up only 18 first-down receptions across his 60 targets. Along with Richard Sherman, Williams has been a stabilizing force in the 49ers' secondary and has far exceeded the below-average performance of fellow perimeter corners Emmanuel Moseley (68.0 coverage grade) and Ahkello Witherspoon (63.5).

Williams was ranked #14 among all corners by PFF, and the eye-test backs it up. He routinely blew up screens and run plays in the flat, and was locking up almost anyone in the slot.

So, if Williams does go down, what do the 49ers do? Last year the clear answer was D.J. Reed, who in limited time excelled. He's now a Seahawk after suffering an injury and being released. The 49ers had hoped to retain him through waivers but Seattle took the opportunity to once again poach a 49ers player, and unfortunately a good one at that. But now that Reed is gone, the best course of action might be to move Ward back to slot corner where he excelled to begin his career. It might be ill advised to put Ward in another position after he finally put together a phenomenal season at his “natural” position, especially considering this team’s history of messing with positions and preventing players from reaching their full potential. I would argue, however, that the level of play with Ward at CB rather than S stays the same.

Ward put up a 71.2 PFF grade in 2015 when he was healthy and was playing corner, and had a 66.9 grade in 2016 as well, although in less games. Ward can play at corner, and at a high level. Something that stood out last season against the Rams in Week 6: Ward shut down back to back plays on third and fourth down to kill a drive. He was all over Everett on a shallow route, then stuck to Kupp, a premier slot receiver in the league, and didn't let him separate at all. Ward knocked the ball out as it got to Kupp's hands, a really impressive defensive play to end the drive and send Saleh into seventh heaven. At the moment, Williams is scheduled to return well before Week 1, but if another injury occurs, this plan comes into play.

Moving Ward to CB means there is a huge hole at FS. But that is where Tarvarius Moore comes into play. Moore, an athletically gifted and lightning fast FS, flashed when Ward was out with a broken forearm. He was definitely inexperienced, which was most obvious on his angles and iffy tackling. Moore did, however, have a knack for being where he needed to. The almost interception in Week 1 vs Bucs really made me a believer. He read the play and positioned himself beautifully. Tackling can be taught, and proper tracking angles will be learned as he adjusts to NFL speed, it's not a lack of athleticism. Not to mention, his instincts and hands were what led to the now-infamous interception of Mahomes during the Super Bowl. But when you look at the statistics, the difference between Ward and Moore is not as far as what it would seem.

Moore got a total of 233 snaps this season, or roughly about 23% of total defensive snaps. His rookie season, he got 232. But here is the big difference: Moore in his rookie season was target 25 times in 232 snaps, more than 10% of the time, and for good reason, as Moore surrendered 17 completions for 160 yards, giving up 4 TDs and a 120 passer rating. Not good. 

But this season, Moore was targeted only 5 times, surrendered 1 completion for 7 yards, with a 39.6 passer rating allowed. The average depth of target when targeted (DADOT) for Moore was a stellar 13.8 yards. In the same amount of snaps, and 1 game extra started, Moore cut the amount of targets on him by 80%, and the completions as well. A huge jump. Even better, during the playoffs, Moore stepped up again with an interception, and 2 passes defended. Nobody had seemed to notice that Moore’s level of play in pass coverage jumped by a lot, and while some of that may have to do with Moore getting more snaps at his natural position of safety, no matter how you slice it, this was a huge improvement. 

For comparison, Jimmie Ward played about 800 snaps, a stark comparison to Moore’s 233. This is a small sample size, but Moore in 233 snaps, as mentioned earlier, 1 for 5, 39.6 passer rating, 7 yards, 0 TDs, 13.8 DADOT. Ward, if you divide his snaps to equal 233, and his numbers correspondingly, gave up around 5 completions on 9 targets, 1 TD, 50 yards, 105.8 rating, and a 7.7 DADOT. 

Now let’s be clear, Ward played a much higher number of snaps and his numbers went up correspondingly. But it is very interesting to see that Moore, when proportionately given the same snaps, outplayed Ward. Additionally, Moore, without his stats being adjusted for snap count, still allowed less in yards/completion and yards/target. 

This keeps the 11 best players on the field, something that Saleh has emphasized before. I worry about the depth chart as it is because, who goes to the slot if they don't move Ward? EMan may succeed but I like him at outside corner too much. Verrett is a possibility but he's all duct tape and prayers at this point (I genuinely want this to blow up in my face and Verrett to ball out this year). Witherspoon is burnt toast on outside receivers, he lacks the lateral agility to keep up with 5'9” speedsters.

What say you, FTN? Is Ward in the slot a terrible decision, should Moseley get a shot there, or is there someone deeper down the chart that I'm overlooking tickle your fancy?

Special thanks to RoachIt for this article! If you want to submit your own fanposts, email us! Check our about page for details! Spread the word about For The Niners if you like our content and mission here! Follow us on Twitter at @forthe9ers.

As always, Go Niners!