© Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Jimmie Ward’s impending free agent status has been well documented. What’s not been as publicized is the fact that the 49ers’ top-ranked secondary from last season will have all of the other four of last year’s starters up for contract in 2021.
Richard Sherman, Ahkello Witherspoon, Jaquiski Tartt and K’Waun Williams’ contracts all expire next offseason. Emmanuel Moseley will be a restricted free agent. Debate whether Witherspoon or Moseley were the “starter” (Moseley won the job when it mattered) if you want, but both will be more expensive to keep next season. Moseley already earned the 17th-most performance-based pay last season.
That leaves Tarvarius Moore, D.J. Reed Jr. and Tim Harris as the only contracted options for the 49ers through 2022.
What San Francisco cannot afford to do is wait until next summer to begin to add youth to the secondary. Viability for next season needs to be addressed this offseason, and whether that’s drafting a Ward replacement now, or a future Sherman/Witherspoon replacement, the 49ers have to make an addition, and it should probably be in one of the first three rounds.
There is a crop of talent that could be available in that late first round, and early second round (a trade down into the second would make the most sense from the 49ers’ perspective). Below are some names that could be available in the early second round:
Safeties: Antoine Winfield Jr. (Minnesota), Ashtyn Davis (Cal), Jeremy Chinn (Southern Illinois), Kyle Dugger (Lenoir-Rhyne)
Corner: Trevon Diggs (Alabama), Jeff Gladney (TCU, might shoot into first), A.J. Terrell (Clemson), Damon Arnette (Ohio State), Cameron Dantzler (Miss. St.)
There’s a reason defensive backs tend to go early, and it’s been borne out by the fact that the 49ers’ picks past round three haven’t been spectacular. Serviceable? Yes. But there’s a reason it’s nigh impossible to find better than that. Here’s the team’s recent history with defensive backs:
2019: Tim Harris (6th round, Virginia – was placed on injured reserve early on)
2018: Tarvarius Moore (3rd round, Southern Miss – pick acquired in Trent Brown plus 5th-round pick trade), Marcell Harris (6th round, Florida)
2017: Ahkello Witherspoon (3rd round, Colorado), Adrian Colbert (7th round, Miami – FL)
2016: Will Redmond (3rd round, Mississippi State), Rashard Robinson (4th round, LSU), Prince Charles Iworah (Western Kentucky)
2015: Jaquiski Tartt (2nd round, Samford)
2014: Jimmie Ward (1st round, Northern Illinois), Dontae Johnson (4th round, NC State), Keith Reaser (Florida Atlantic University), Kenneth Acker (SMU)
2013: Eric Reid (1st round, LSU), Marcus Cooper (7th round, Rutgers)
2012: Trent Robinson (6th round, Michigan State)
2011: Chris Culliver (3rd round, South Carolina), Colin Jones (6th round, TCU), Curtis Holcomb (7th round, Florida A&M)
2010: Taylor Mays (2nd round, USC), Phillip Adams (7th round, South Carolina State)
What those selections are evidence of is that outside of the first three rounds, the 49ers have struggled mightily with their defensive back draft selections over the last decade. Now, there’s been success in finding hidden gems in undrafted free agents like Emmanuel Moseley and through the free agent market, and the occasional serviceable option in later rounds (like Marcell Harris and Adrian Colbert, who are basically the same player), but that’s not a reliable strategy for building for the future, especially with cap limitations.
The 49ers almost certainly won’t be able to afford to keep Ward, Tartt, Sherman, Witherspoon and Moseley. Especially if/when they extend George Kittle and DeForest Buckner (and Kyle Juszczyk) and if they restructure Jimmy Garoppolo’s deal. Moving on from Dee Ford is probably the only route that opens up that possibility, but getting a young player into the team’s system now and evaluating their ability throughout this season will be crucial in determining the level of flexibility they’ll have next offseason.