49ers News: Evaluating the cornerbacks room for 2024 and beyond

The San Francisco 49ers significantly improved their cornerback depth this offseason, adding several players to the roster to compete ahead of the 2024 season.

In free agency, the 49ers signed Isaac Yiadom, Rock Ya-Sin and Chase Lucas, while the team drafted Florida State cornerback Renardo Green in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

They will join a group of starters led by top-tier duo Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, with Ambry Thomas, Darrell Luter and Samuel Womack also returning.

Something in common with the group? The majority of top players are expected to be unrestricted free agents in 2025, which includes Ward and Lenoir, putting an emphasis on competing for a championship this season.

How could the cornerback room collapse, both for 2024 and the future?

The best cornerbacks

Ward and Lenoir return to headline the group after having strong seasons as San Francisco’s outside cornerbacks in 2023.

Ward, who earned second-team AP All-Pro honors last season, has been one of the best additions for the 49ers since they signed him to a three-year, $42 million contract in 2022.

Lenoir, on the other hand, went from a fifth-round pick as a rookie to a front-line starter who stands to earn a nice salary as a free agent on the open market next offseason, assuming the 49ers do not extend his contract before. SO.

With both being free agents next offseason, the question arises as to whether the 49ers will be able to keep the duo together, given their growing roster costs.

With empty years attached to his contract, Ward will carry a $12.298 million dead cap charge next offseason, which could prompt the 49ers to extend his contract to avoid taking that hit.

However, with the All-Pro level cornerback starting his season at age 29 in 2025, the 49ers could opt to take the younger, cheaper route by extending Lenoir, who will begin his season at age 26 next year.

It still remains to be debated whether the 49ers ultimately view Lenoir as an outside cornerback or a nickel, since San Francisco signed several outside corners, like Isaac Yiadom, in free agency, while signing a player in Renardo Green who thrived at outside in college.

But, after a good season on the island in 2023, Lenoir could look to be paid as an outside cornerback in his next contract, even if he moves inside in 2024.

It appears San Francisco will have to make a decision between one of its top two cornerbacks, and that choice is expected to come up for free agency next year, allowing the 49ers to beat the market and enter the offseason with some stability after the season.

The depth

Behind Ward and Lenoir is where things start to get complicated.

The 49ers struggled at their third cornerback spot in 2023, bouncing between free agent signee Isaiah Oliver and 2021 third-round pick Ambry Thomas, which ultimately moved Lenoir between the outside and nickel.

This prompted them to sign Isaac Yiadom, who had the best season of his career in 2023, in free agency, providing additional competition for the third spot.

San Francisco also guaranteed Rock Ya-Sin over $1 million in free agency, looking to acquire more veteran bodies in the room.

They will compete with Thomas, Darrell Luter and Samuel Womack, while Renardo Green is clearly a lock to make the roster.

It feels like the quartet of Thomas, Luter, Womack and Ya-Sin are fighting for the final two spots behind Ward, Lenoir, Yiadom and Green, meaning this is a make-or-break offseason for the young group of San Francisco cornerbacks. .

Among them, Luter was a player the 49ers rated as a good fit for that outside press man role last offseason when they took him in the fifth round, and he and Womack are the the only ones to have control of the team after this season. .

The hope is that Green can compete for a starting spot early on, and the 49ers have shown a willingness to let rookies compete, with Lenoir, Thomas and Womack all being thrown in early in their careers to prove themselves.

If Green wins a starting job, the 49ers would have two flex corners in 2024 and would likely get their outside cornerback duo for 2025 with the second rounder and one of the incumbent starters.

But this group has increased its depth significantly this offseason and should provide one of the most intense camp battles on the roster.