Janoris Jenkins has not seen the field since he was a member of the Tennessee Titans back in 2021. That could soon come to an end now that the Pro Bowl cornerback has signed with a Super Bowl contender.
One day after their shutout win against Jenkins’ former New Orleans Saints team, the San Francisco 49ers announced that they have signed Jenkins to their practice squad.
This is a move that pretty much comes out of nowhere. San Francisco is in the midst of a four-game winning streak that has seen its defense yield a combined 40 points during that span. In fact, the 49ers have not given up a point in their past six-plus quarters. Opposing quarterbacks have also thrown just nine touchdown passes against this defense in 11 games.
Even then, adding a veteran of Jenkins’ ilk to the defensive backfield can’t be seen as a bad move. The former second-round pick out of Florida has started 138 of the 142 games in which he’s appeared since entering the NFL back in 2012.
Last season with the Titans, Jenkins started 13 games. He recorded 54 tackles, six passes defended and an interception. Though, the former Pro Bowler also yielded a 100.2 QB rating when targeted. Back in 2020, said rating stood at a mere 81.8. San Francisco hopes that Jenkins can return to that form moving forward.
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- Janoris Jenkins stats (2012-21): 576 tackles, 124 passes defended, 27 INT, 8 INT
Jenkins, 34, put up his best performance with the new York Giants back in 2016. That season saw him pick off three passes. All said, he’s returned eight interceptions for touchdowns in his career.
The signing of Jenkins is interesting in that San Francisco boasts a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback in Charvarius Ward who has been dominant in his first season with the team. Though, there’s certainly some depth issues here following yet another season-ending injury suffered by fellow former Pro Bowl cornerback Jason Verrett.
Whether Janoris Jenkins gets a call to the active roster in short order remains to be seen. At 7-4 on the season, San Francisco is set to host the first-place Miami Dolphins next week before another home date with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There will be ample opportunities for Jenkins to make an impact should he get the call.