49ers May Have Emmanuel Moseley’s Replacement on Standby

Getty Jason Verrett practicing with the San Francisco 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers left Charlotte with another notch in the win column, but in doing so, they lost a number of important players to injury, none more so valuable than Emmanuel Moseley, the team’s starting cornerback who recorded a pick-six in the second quarter but tore his ACL in the fourth, the 49ers confirmed on October 10.

A tough loss? You bet. Teammate Talanoa Hufanga explicitly mentioned that he was praying for his good friend in his postgame presser, but if there’s a silver lining in the situation, it’s that the Niners won’t have to look far for Moseley’s replacement. Longtime starting cornerback Jason Verrett, who is still recovering from a 2021 ACL tear of his own, had his practice eligibility window opened in the lead-up to Week 5 and could be back on the field, and in the starting lineup, by Week 6, when the Niners travel to Atlanta to face off against the 2-3 Falcons.

Kyle Shanahan Updated Jason Verrett’s Status Before Week 4

When Shanahan was asked about Verrett’s status on October 7, two days before the Carolina Panthers game, the sixth-year head coach explained why the TCU product wasn’t a full-go in practice during the week, as transcribed by NBC Sports Bay Area.

“He would have gone if we went full speed,” Shanahan said. “He’s just trying so hard to get back and get reps, and we did all walk-throughs. Wanted to get him a full workout on the side, instead of just walking through.”

With Moseley out for the foreseeable future, it’s safe to assume the Niners will be a bit more committed in trying to get Verrett back on the practice field in the hopes of a Week 6 debut in Atlanta.

Verrett Has Experience in the San Francisco 49ers’ Scheme

While Verrett has only played 60 defensive snaps as part of a DeMeco Ryans’ coordinated defense, that doesn’t tell the full story of his experience.

Re-signed by the 49ers on April 1st of the 2021 NFL calendar year, Verrett spent that entire summer locked in as one of San Francisco’s first-team cornerbacks, playing opposite rookie fifth-round pick Deommodore Lenoir. Though Verrett didn’t see the field again for the remainder of the regular season or any of the team’s playoff games for that matter either, he still took part in weekly meetings, still had the playbook to study, and still learned the differences and similarities of Ryans’ scheme to that of his predecessor, Robert Saleh.

In 2022, Verrett was expected to be ready to play in time for the start of training camp, and then in time for the start of the regular season, but after suffering an ACL in Week 1 of the 2021 season, the team decided to play it safe and place the former starter, who re-signed on a one-year, $1.035 million deal back in May, on the PUP list. Even if he couldn’t practice with the team, and likely won’t return until this week if Shanahan’s comments prove true, Verrett was still with the team, in practice, and preparing for his eventual return. If there was ever a player more prepared to step into a midseason starter role, it’s Verrett.