GETTY Jamar Taylor #24 of the Seattle Seahawks breaks up a pass intended for Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers in the third quarter at Levi's Stadium on November 11, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
With another corner’s status up in the air, the San Francisco 49ers are making sure they have an insurance plan.
Per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, San Francisco is adding veteran corner Jamar Taylor to the practice squad, with the intent of playing him in the Week 4 clash against the Philadelphia Eagles should their current group of corners be unable to play.
The #49ers plan to add veteran CB Jamar Taylor to the practice squad, per source. Taylor, who lined up at nickel CB for SF in training camp, presumably would be elevated if K’Waun Williams (hip) can’t play Sunday. Taylor takes T William Sweet’s spot on the practice squad.
As of writing, the 49ers are dealing with injuries with 4 of their corners and just recovered from another as Jason Verrett hit the field in Week 3.
K’Waun Williams, Emmanuel Moseley, Ahkello Witherspoon are all day-to-day and will likely have a questionable status going into the 49ers’ game against the Eagles, while star corner Richard Sherman still has another week on the injury reserve before he can make his return in Week 5.
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Taylor’s Background
As Barrows mentions above, the 49ers were considering Taylor as an option during preseason, bringing in the veteran during training camp to compete with their current group.
While Taylor was unable to beat out any members of the 49ers’ high-performing 2019 secondary, it’s certainly clear that the corner has what it takes to step in should San Francisco need him.
Since coming into the NFL as the Miami Dolphins’ second round pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, Taylor has played on the inside and outside, and earned 41 starts to his name in the process.
After his first three years in Miami, Taylor joined the Cleveland Browns, exploding for three interceptions and 13 passes defended in 2016 as he solidified himself as a starter for the Browns.
Taylor spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons with four different teams, hopping around from Arizona to Denver to Atlanta before finally arriving in the Pacific Northwest as a Seattle Seahawk.
Taylor played nine games for Seattle, totaling three passes defended as a stand-in for the Seahawks’ secondary. However, he did not convince the top brass of a long-term spot, which is how he eventually reached San Francisco in training camp this past summer.
49ers’ Corners Going Forward
Many fans have been wondering if the 49ers were going to add corner help after a sluggish start to the year and the piling injuries, and the team could do much worse than someone with experience like Taylor.
That being said, it would obviously be more ideal if the 49ers’ group of Witherspoon, Moseley and Williams could all suit up on Sunday, but considering the addition of Taylor, one has to assume that at least one of those players will be unavaialable.
With Witherspoon battling a hamstring and Moseley recovering from a concussion, two injuries that you don’t want to press or make worse, San Francisco will likely decide to preserve they’re healthy and up for a back half of the season that will be all-important considering the injury-riddled start.
Taylor ought to be able to come in and do a fine job against the deeper parts of the Eagles’ receiving group, but it will be curious to see how long he rides the practice squad.
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Evan Reier is a sportswriter covering the San Francisco 49ers for Heavy.com and local sports for the Montana Standard in Butte, Mont. Reach out to him on Twitter at @evanreier and join our 49ers community at Heavy on 49ers on Facebook.