Is it time to panic with several important defensive backs hitting the free agency? The 49ers can look forward to a completely revamped secondary series next season.

Out of all the key positions in the 49ers series, the secondary remains the biggest concern. Essentially, the whole depth map is in the air with Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett, K’Waun Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon and Jaquiski Tartt going to become free agents. 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley was a limited free agent but just had a two-year agreement for $ 10 million, while the strong security was Marcell Harris re-signed for one year. The only starter left under contract is 49ers-free safety Jimmie Ward.

49ers’ Secondary 2021 Free Agents

  • Richard Sherman – UFA
  • Jaquiski Tartt – UFA
  • UFA – K’Waun Williams
  • Jason Verrett – UFA
  • Ahkello Witherspoon – UFA
  • Dontae Johnson – UFA
  • Jamar Taylor – UFA
  • Emmanuel Moseley – RFA
  • Marcell Harris – RFA

Initial Outlook

As it looks today, the 49ers Moseley and Ward are leading the group with many questions behind them.

Moseley is a versatile enough corner line to play outside or inside, giving the 49ers some options to approach the off-season. Apart from Moseley, there are four unproven angles on the rankings: Tim Harris, Mark Fields, Adonis Alexander and Ken Webster.

Ward was the 49ers’ free starting safety last year, but could play in some safety position. Would it make sense to promote Tarvarius Moore to free security and move Ward to strong security?

The reason I am proposing these possible changes is because it is going to be difficult to overhaul the secondary process in one off-season. The 49ers have the big task of adding players with starting experience and / or youth upside down to develop the upcoming season. Their choice of free agencies could be limited if the 49ers sign Trent Williams again, to a possible expansion. The 49ers have enough draft capital this year, but it’s usually a strong learning curve to develop defensive backs. Ideally, the 49ers want to keep their own free agents, but that seems unlikely – unless a difficult market allows the 49ers to re-sign them at reasonable deals.

Free agency

As noted earlier, the 49ers’ approach to adding pieces in the secondary mainly depends on whether they retain their biggest hanging free agent in the pack Trent Williams. Out of the current group of 49ers free agents, it would be great if they could retain K’Waun Williams to continue his role as Nickelback. Williams is one of the more underrated players in the league with an excellent position. Based on his earlier comments, it is unlikely that Richard Sherman will be in a 49ers uniform again. A combination of injuries and inconsistencies probably ran its course for Tartt and Witherspoon.

Keeping Jason Verrett at a reasonable price for two years can be a win-win for both parties; I’m not sure other teams are willing to offer further for his services as he has suffered injuries.

The 49ers usually do not spend heavily in defensive rugby, with a greater emphasis on the defensive line to set the tone for the secondary. I would expect the 49ers to go free trade hunting in the second wave after bigger free agent names like the Seahawks ‘Shaquill Griffin and the Bengals’ William Jackson leave the board.

Perhaps the 49ers are targeting veteran-free agencies on annual deals while rounding out the secondary with draft prospects to contribute later in the year. Outside corner lists like the Colts’ Xavier Rhodes, the Packers’ Kevin King and the Rams’ Troy Hill come to mind. There also seems to be a good surplus of lock-corner players like Nickell Robey-Coleman of the Eagles, Justin Coleman of the Lions and Desmond King of the Titans. It may be optimistic, but the Raiders’ Lamarcus Joyner, Bradley McDougald of the Jets and Malik Hooker of the Colts all fit safely.

Concept

The 49ers enter the NFL draft with ten drafts, especially with seven of those included on Day 3 – including three fifth rounds. As mentioned earlier, the 49ers usually do not spend much for free on the secondary via free agency, so I would expect the 49ers’ front office to be proactive in this concept. Maybe it’s about getting his guys, but given the 49ers’ strong need to review their depth, it would not surprise me if they pull in 3-4 defensive backs to round off the group.

Overall outlook

The 49ers’ defensive philosophy has always prioritized the top seven over the secondary priority, but that does not mean that the team can only cope with the talent below – see last season against the Miami Dolphins with Brian Allen. They will need to find a good mix of smart veterans and draft prospects to get them secondary at a respected level; retaining some of their own free agents can help with the efforts to stabilize the system. Depending on how the 49ers play their cards during the season, the secondary could potentially be the Achilles heel to their defense.

  • Justin Wong

  • Written by:

    Justin Wong has been writing for the 49ers Webzone since 2017 while also running an NFC West blog and podcast called Just The West. Feel free to follow him, or direct any queries to @JustTheWest on Twitter.