Even the league’s best defense can use some help — especially when they’re dealing with the injury bug like the San Francisco 49ers.
And one of the 49ers‘ hardest hit areas was on the defensive back end. The 49ers went from witnessing Emmanuel Moseley putting together his best season yet to watching the talented undrafted cornerback become lost for the season with his torn ACL against the Carolina Panthers in Week 5.
The good news: Veteran Jason Verrett is on his way back.
The bad news: Verrett is coming back from his own torn ACL and depth could be needed to remain in the push for a division and conference crown.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine on Wednesday, October 12 wrote down this idea for the 49ers in order to offset the Moseley injury: Add a talented cornerback via trade.
And this CB option B/R mentioned is a California native.
49ers Should Trade for CB Who Finds Himself in a Rebuild, Analyst Writes
Sidney Jones IV was the lone cornerback mentioned as part of “Three Players the 49ers Should Target” with the NFL trade deadline coming on November 1.
The 6-foot, 181-pound native of Diamond Bar, California is currently on a one-year, $3,600,000 contract with the rival Seattle Seahawks. He’s earning a base salary of $1,620,000 per Spotrac and becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
The former second rounder out of Washington once put together back-to-back two interception seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars. He also delivered a season-high of 10 pass deflections in his first season as a Seahawk. Jones also has his own personal streak going for him: Eight consecutive games without allowing a touchdown thrown to his side per Pro Football Reference Advanced Stats.
However, since that 2021 campaign, Jones has only logged 24 coverage snaps per Pro Football Focus.
“Their treatment of Jones is a good indication that they understand they are still rebuilding. The veteran was a healthy scratch in Week 5 and he’s only appeared in two games this year,” Ballentine writes.
Dilemma 49ers Face if They Make a Run
One year ago the 49ers pulled off the trade to add Charles Omenihu via the Houston Texans, who has since become a valuable trench presence in showcasing his line of scrimmage versatility.
Here we are finding the 49ers in another scenario where general manager John Lynch and company may have to orchestrate another deal. But this idea does have it’s disadvantage
“Trades within the division can always be tricky. Teams don’t want to give an advantage to someone they are directly competing with,” Ballentine writes. “But a deal for Sidney Jones IV makes a lot of sense for both the 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks.
“For one, the Seahawks are in the middle of a rebuild,” Ballentine continued. “The success of Geno Smith has been a fun story, but 2-3 Seattle is still a lot closer to picking in the top 10 than it is competing for a Super Bowl.”
And, the ‘Hawks have rolled with two rookie cornerbacks getting the bulk of the coverage snaps. Fifth rounder Tariq Woolen and fourth rounder Coby Bryant have played in 170 and 108 coverage snaps, respectively, per PFF.
But with the 49ers down to Verrett, Ambry Thomas and Charvarius Ward as the CB options while Deommodore Lenoir and Samuel Womack help man the nickelback spot, the 49ers find themselves in a spot where they may need to pivot to the trade market to fill the spot Moseley bequeaths. Jones’ ability to lower an opposing quarterback’s completion percentage and past prowess in the pass deflections department could appeal to S.F.
“Last season, the 26-year-old was a solid corner, only allowing a 57.1 percent completion percentage and a passer rating of 78.9. Jones would make a strong candidate to help replace Moseley, who is out for the year.”
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$3 Million CB is ‘Strong Candidate’ to Help Replace Injured 49ers Star