Dre Bly to Visit the San Francisco 49ers

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

After receiving news on the extent of Walt Harris's injury, Scott McCloughan wasted no time in trying to address depth issues at the cornerback position. According to local beat writer Matt Maiocco, the 49ers have scheduled to meet veteran corner Dre Bly on Thursday. 

Bly, a two time pro bowler, has spent 10 years in the NFL and would bring a veteran presence to the cornerback position. During his ten years, Bly has played for the Rams, Lions, and Broncos. However, he never once had a year where he had more than 8 interceptions.

Like current 49er Nate Clements, Bly has developed a reputation on gambling for big plays. He has a tendency to depend on the free safety to cover the long ball and gamble on jumping the short routes to get an interception.

Bly tends to depend on his instincts when making a play on the ball and focuses more on the route the reciever is running rather than the reciever himself.

While Bly has had some very good season in the league, he struggled with the Denver Broncos last season. Despite being matched up with all pro Champ Bailey, Bly only grabbed two interceptions all season. Some even believed that Bly was slowing down because of all of his time spent playing in the league.

However with Harris's injury happening so late in the free agency period, the 49ers were forced to look at cornerbacks that are not playing at a high level. Adding Dre Bly will add competition to the cornerback position and additional depth to the roster. In addition, the veteran can be a reliable backup in case a freak injury occurs in the lineup.

Bly joins a group that features two young cornerbacks and one elite corner. While Nate Clements will hold down the left cornerback spot, Bly will compete with Tarrell Brown, Shawntae Spencer, and most likely Reggie Smith for the right cornerback spot.

While Tarrell Brown has made some big plays last season, the coaching staff obviously do not have the confidence to put him as the starter since they were so quick to meet with Dre Bly after the Walt Harris injury.Shawntae Spencer, who has been a backup for most of his career, does not figure to be a serious contender for the starting job.

Many fans criticized the 49ers for saving money and not being aggressive in the early parts of free agency. However, it looks like the 49ers made a smart move by saving the money and using it to sign a reliable veteran after a devastating injury to one of their players.

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