The San Francisco 49ers head into the 2023 season with one of the NFL’s best defenses as Kyle Shanahan’s squad looks to earn that elusive sixth Super Bowl title.
This doesn’t mean San Francisco isn’t on the lookout for more depth as training camp continues and with the preseason set to get going here soon.
On Thursday, the team added to its roster by signing an underrated veteran cornerback. Per NFL insider Aaron Wilson, the 49ers have signed veteran cornerback Anthony Averett to a one-year contract.
Averett, 28, was a fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens out of Alabama in the 2018 NFL Draft. He played his first four NFL seasons in Baltimore before signing with the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the 2022 campaign.
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The cornerback put up his best season with Baltimore back in 2021, recording 54 tackles to go with 11 passes defended and three interceptions in 14 games (all starts). Opposing quarterbacks posted a 55.4% completion and 77.5 passer rating when targeting him.
After inking a one-year, $4 million contract with Vegas back in March 2022, Averett struggled in Sin City. He appeared in seven games (six starts) without recording an interception. Quarterbacks tallied an eye-opening 134.7 rating when targeting him. With that said, the former mid-round pick suffered through multiple injuries in Vegas. This could have impacted his performance.
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Depth at cornerback is somewhat of a concern for the 49ers. Outside of one of the top players at his position, Charvarius Ward, there’s a lot of unproven commodities.
Incoming third-year player Deommodore Lenoir started 13 games as a sophomore. While he played well down the stretch, the former Oregon standout yielded a 91.2 QB rating in coverage. Sophomore Samuel Womack is battling with him for the starting gig opposite Ward.
At the very least, Anthony Averett provides depth and previous success to this group heading into Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.