The San Francisco 49ers took out the Carolina Panthers by the score of 37-15 in dominating fashion Sunday, earning their second consecutive win after some struggles to open the season.
However, it did not come without a major cost. Head coach Kyle Shanahan noted following the blowout win that it’s feared starting cornerback Emmanuel Moseley tore his ACL in the game.
Moseley’s injury comes on the same day that he intercepted a Baker Mayfield pass and returned it for a touchdown late in the second quarter. The former undrafted free agent from Tennessee joined free-agent signing Charvarius Ward to create a dominant cornerback pairing in San Francisco. With Moseley now likely lost for the remainder of the season, there’s a major hole for the 49ers to fill.
Below, we look at three cornerback options for San Francisco following the Moseley injury news.
Related: San Francisco 49ers standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL defense rankings
San Francisco 49ers stick with the status quo
There’s a reason that San Francisco handed Ward the massive contract in free agency during the spring. It wanted a true No. 1 cornerback after some major struggles in that area a season ago. Coming overfrom the Chiefs, Ward more than proved that he was the guy heading into Week 5 against Carolina.
- Charvarius Ward stats (Weeks 1-4): 22 tackles, 4 passes defended, 1 INT, 45.5% completion, 38.3 QB rating allowed
With Ward slotted in as the No. 1 guy, the 49ers could potentially look to fill the other corner spot with fellow veteran Jason Verrett (pictured above). The former Pro Bowler is eligible to come off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list at any time. He returned to practice recently after being sidelined since Week 1 of the 2021 campaign with a torn ACL of his own.
At issue here is Verrett’s own injury issues. He’s played in all of 19 games since the end of the 2015 season due to myriad injuries. One of San Francisco’s major issues last season was relying on the injury-plagued former Chargers first-round pick to be its top guy at cornerback. That blew up after less than one game.
Other options here include former third-round pick Ambry Thomas from Michigan. He’s only seen action on special teams as a sophomore after struggling big time last season (118.0 QB rating allowed). The 49ers replaced Moseley with rookie Samuel Womack Sunday against Carolina. Despite showing out during the preseason, the fifth-round pick from Toledo is untested. He also stands at 5-foot-10 and could have his issues out in the boundary against bigger-bodied receivers. Womack is seen more as a slot guy moving forward.
Related: San Francisco 49ers schedule and game-by-game predictions
San Francisco 49ers trade for Jalen Mills
It remains to be seen if New England will go into fire-sale mode ahead of the November NFL trade deadline. The team is coming off a shutout win over the Detroit Lions and might look to contend for a wild card spot moving forward. With that said, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has never been afraid to sell high on veterans who might not have a long-term future in New England.
Mills could end up being in that category with the Patriots’ number of youngsters at the cornerback position. If so, San Francisco could pounce on the possibility of acquiring him.
Back in 2020 with the Philadelphia Eagles, Mills yielded a 58% completion mark and 82.0 QB rating when targeted. Once he transitioned to corner in New England last season, opposing quarterbacks completed less than 57% of their targets in Mills’ direction. This could be a nice buy-low option for the 49ers.
Related: San Francisco 49ers standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL power rankings
49ers welcome back old friend Richard Sherman
While Sherman is currently a media personality for Amazon Prime, he has not ruled out a potential return to the gridiron. He’s also had a lot of nice things to say about the 49ers and their organization.
Now 34 years old, Sherman starred for the 49ers from 2018-20. Unfortunately, injuries caught up with him in San Francisco back in 2020 and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. An argument can be made that Sherman is done. However, his familiarity with the San Francisco 49ers’ defense could end up leading to general manager John Lynch and Co. making a call.