San Francisco 49ers: Who Is Winning the Cornerback Battle?
Now that they are two games into the preseason slate, we can start to get a better grip on the San Francisco 49ers’ cornerback competition. We have snap counts for each player on the roster, we know who’s coming in in what situations, and we know how they’ve done when they’re actually in the game.
We knew coming into the preseason that the cornerback position would be very much an open competition. Other than Tramaine Brock, coming back from an injury-plagued 2014 season, being penciled in for one of the starting corner positions, everyone else could slide anywhere on the depth chart.
It’s far from decided, as well, as the 49ers have moved and shifted players around, but at least now we’ve seen everyone with the exception of Jimmie Ward. Ward’s only returned to practice in any significant capacity this past week, and Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reported that he’s been mostly working at safety at the moment. It seems somewhat safe to say that Ward is out of the picture at this precise moment, though he could work his way back in as the season progresses.
It’s worth noting that the pass defense, as a whole, has been doing quite well. It's held opposing quarterbacks to a 71.0 quarterback rating, sixth-best in the league so far. Its three interceptions are one off the league lead as well, though obviously Mike Purcell’s interception isn’t particularly indicative of how well the defensive backs are playing.
Pro Football Focus has the 49ers tied for the league's second-best pass coverage through the first two weeks of preseason. Always take preseason stats with huge, heaping pounds of salt, but it’s certainly not a negative to be looking good at this point in the season.
Let’s take a look at how the other eight cornerbacks are doing, in the order they’re listed on the last unofficial 49ers’ depth chart, and try to make some predictions as to who will end up where when all is said and done.
Tramaine Brock
1 of 9
35 snaps, minus-1.1 PFF grade.
No receptions allowed on no targets
Tramaine Brock’s the only corner to have started both the Houston and Dallas games, and he’s primarily just been playing the first quarter or so. He’s been the outside corner when the 49ers have been in their base package and has slid inside to cover the slot when the 49ers have been in nickel formation.
His negative PFF grade at this point basically boils down to one play, as he hasn’t allowed a completion yet. Against Houston, Brock was flagged for defensive pass interference in the end zone on 3rd-and-goal, giving the Texans a fresh set of downs in the midst of San Francisco’s epic goal-line stand. He was basically caught hand-checking without turning around and received a deserved flag.
Other than that, he hasn’t particularly stood out. There was some miscommunication with him on the inside against Houston, where he crashed into Nick Moody, preventing him from getting into coverage, but all in all, it’s been solid, if uninspiring play. There’s certainly nothing here to say that he should lose his starting job entering the regular season.
I’d consider his issues over the middle a part of adjusting to a new position and simply shaking off rust—remember, Brock only appeared in three games last season. He should be fine as a starter this season.
Status: Lock for Starter
Shareece Wright
2 of 9
51 snaps, minus-0.2 PFF Grade
Two receptions allowed on two targets for 19 yards
As part of the cornerback shuffling and re-shuffling, Shareece Wright received the start against the Texans, playing primarily in the first quarter. Against Dallas, Wright saw about the same amount of work, but he lost his starting spot to Keith Reaser.
Both of Wright’s receptions allowed came against Houston. Wright was listed as the cornerback in coverage on DeAndre Hopkins’ two-point conversion and on Keith Mumphery’s 17-yard reception in the first quarter. On that Mumphery reception, Wright looked particularly bad—he kept running downfield, missing Mumphrey’s comeback route entirely, as he was caught staring into the backfield.
It seems Wright is plummeting down the depth chart, and he didn’t do anything against Dallas’ reserve players to show he was better than your average depth corner. After multiple years of poor coverage in San Diego, with Wright grading out at minus-16.8 and minus-13.4 the last two seasons, it’s hard to see a reason why he should be a starter at this point.
Wright will likely make the team at this point—the 49ers gave him a $1.5 million signing bonus (via Niners Nation), and you don’t just cut those players—but given his lackluster on-field play in preseason and in recent years, the tea leaves are pointing toward him having a less impactful role on the roster. We’ll have to see where he lines up for the third preseason game.
Status: Falling Fast
Dontae Johnson
3 of 9
74 snaps, plus-5.3 PFF Grade
One reception allowed on four targets for 13 yards
One interception, two passes defensed
Dontae Johnson was listed as a starter against Houston, coming in on the outside during the nickel package, while Brock moved inside. He played into the fourth quarter that day. He did not get those starting reps against Dallas, coming in and playing primarily in the second half.
His plus-5.3 PFF grade leads all 49ers defensive backs, as does his plus-4.7 pass-coverage grade. However, most of his positive grade did come against Dallas’ backups, rather than Houston’s starters. You can choose to look at that in a couple of ways.
If your glass is half-empty, you can point out it’s not particularly impressive to perform well against Dustin Vaughan and Jameill Showers, and so you should somewhat write off his success in the second half against Dallas.
If your glass is half-full, you can point out that Johnson was clearly head and shoulders above most of the players on the field at that point, and thus he showed that he’s better than your average reserve or camp cut.
I tend to go with the second interpretation. He was actually just fine against Houston’s starters, limiting passing-game success and selling out to help in run defense as well. Then, against Dallas, he was a highlight-reel machine, ripping the ball away from Clyde Gates for an interception, nearly getting a second one on a pass L.J. McCray broke up and having another pass deflection on a pass intended for Antwan Goodley.
Of all San Francisco’s cornerbacks, he’s impressed me the most so far. Hopefully, he’ll get a slot with the starters in the third preseason game so we can evaluate him against the opposing starting offense.
Status: Climbing into the Starting Lineup
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Marcus Cromartie
4 of 9
56 snaps, minus-1.5 PFF Grade
Three receptions allowed on five targets for 27 yards and two touchdowns
Marcus Cromartie has been primarily playing in the second half and has not received snaps with the starting defense.
That might be for the best, because Cromartie has been in coverage on a touchdown in each of San Francisco’s first two games. Against Houston, Jaelen Strong boxed him out for a touchdown early in the third quarter. Against Dallas, Nick Harwell recovered on a broken play to score on him.
Neither touchdown was strictly Cromartie’s fault—it’s difficult to overpower Jaelen Strong, and crazy things can happen when a quarterback like Jameill Showers freelances and extends a play—but Cromartie hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory to this point.
As a player who was already at the bottom of the depth chart, he needed something big to propel himself back into contention. So far, he hasn’t really shown anything to pass anybody.
He’s probably safe from the 75-man cuts, but his chances of making the main roster probably come on special teams, where he’s picked up a couple of tackles in the first two preseason games. Still, at the moment, he appears to be on the outside looking in.
Status: Hanging by a Thread
Keith Reaser
5 of 9
65 snaps, plus-1.2 PFF Grade
Four receptions allowed on six targets for 46 yards
Keith Reaser got the start against Dallas opposite Tramaine Brock after coming in with the second team against Houston. It was a golden opportunity for Reaser, who missed his entire rookie season recovering from a torn ACL, to prove he belonged on the 53-man roster and deserved a starting role.
Things didn’t go fantastically for him, however. Reaser was in coverage on A.J. Jenkins’ 20-yard cross over the middle, and he was beaten badly on the play. He also lost another reception to Lucky Whitehead to go along with a couple of receptions against Houston.
It certainly hasn’t been all bad for Reaser; he had four tackles and a couple of assists against Houston. He’s made solid tackles and has been getting better reviews in practice. It’s certainly possible he just had some so-so games in pass coverage, and he’s worth taking another look at in the third preseason game. At the moment, however, I’d put Dontae Johnson ahead of him.
Status: Holding Steady in Sub-Packages
Kenneth Acker
6 of 9
50 snaps, plus-0.9 grade
Three receptions allowed on five targets for 27 yards
Like Reaser, Kenneth Acker got more opportunities against Dallas. He was the third cornerback to start the game, coming in to play on the outside in the nickel package as Brock went inside. He remained in as the starting corner with the second-team defense, a step up from where he was in the Houston game.
I think Acker played a little better in the first game than the second, but he was decent in both. Like Reaser, Acker’s been getting rave reviews during training camp, including that of Cam Inman of the Mercury News, but he hasn’t had that one series of plays that makes him a standout among the pack.
He’s been solid enough, certainly, for a player essentially starting his rookie year, after missing all of his rookie season with a foot injury, but he’s still got some room to develop. He seems to be behind Reaser at the moment, but his performance is enough that he’ll stay on the roster.
Status: Coming Along Slowly but Surely
Mylan Hicks
7 of 9
17 snaps, plus-0.2 PFF Grade
Zero receptions allowed on zero targets
All 17 of Mylan Hicks' snaps on defense came against Houston; he didn’t see the field other than with special teams against Dallas. All of those Houston snaps came in the fourth quarter, to boot.
Hicks will not be making the final roster. He’s also not likely to make the 75-man cutdown after the third preseason game; they only put him in on two special teams plays against Dallas. The undrafted free agent (UDFA) out of Michigan State is trying to shift back to cornerback from linebacker, his college position.
That might make him at least a candidate for the practice squad, but there hasn’t been enough field performances to justify that at this point.
Status: Taking up a Roster Slot
Leon McFadden
8 of 9
38 snaps, plus-2.4 PFF grade
Two receptions allowed on four targets for 23 yards
If anyone is going to break the Brock/Johnson/Wright/Reaser/Acker quintet and steal a roster spot, it will be Leon McFadden. He’s the only San Francisco cornerback PFF graded above plus-1.0 in each of the first two games.
Of course, all of McFadden’s work has come at the end of games—I believe every defensive snap has been in the fourth quarter. He contributed on special teams last season, but only received one snap there against Dallas—is that because the 49ers were looking at some of their deeper-depth players, while McFadden’s more of a known quantity, or is it because he’s fallen on the depth chart?
My guess is it’s the former—they know McFadden is a solid, if unspectacular, special teams contributor, who is more borderline in coverage. He’s good enough to be on a roster's backend, but he's not really a threat to take away serious snaps from anyone else.
With all the 49ers' various young cornerbacks looking solid enough, McFadden’s probably expendable. My prediction is he survives the 75-man cuts, but he doesn’t make the final game-day roster.
Status: Long shot
How Will They Line Up?
9 of 9
We know Brock will have a starting spot when the regular season begins, but everything else is up for grabs.
If Shareece Wright or Keith Reaser start the third preseason game across from Brock, then we’ll have every sign that they’ve won the starting job. Similarly, if Kenneth Acker or Dontae Johnson come in during the nickel formation against Denver, we can pencil them in for that spot as well.
My deduction is we won’t see that. Jim Tomsula was asked about Reaser starting with Wright, and he had this to say:
"That's going to keep changing. We're going to keep changing things around there and we're sorting through some things. We feel like we have some talented guys back there. Some youth, I know there's youth, but really like the way they're coming in.
And [49ers secondary coach] Tim Lewis, just the way he's with that group and the way that whole thing's coming together and the coaching and the teaching, but also the players and the way they're responding to it is really good. All we're doing is trying to take a look and clarify some decisions.
"
That leads me to conclude that they’ll try a third lineup against Denver and see how things go. While we’ll have to wait and see who gets reps in practice, I wouldn’t be stunned if Brock and Johnson are the starting corners against Peyton Manning’s team, with Reaser coming in during the nickel alignment.
If I had to select my starting lineup today, that would be my starting three, with Jimmie Ward coming in in the dime, if healthy, and Acker coming in until that point. We’ll have to see what happens against Denver, but that’s where I’d put my money at the moment.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats from Pro Football Focus.
Bryan Knowles is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him @BryKno on Twitter.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
