The times have-a-changed pretty quickly for the San Francisco 49ers' defense.
Once a unit led by the front, San Francisco's defense heads into a 2024 season with a remodeled defensive line facing more scrutiny than the secondary, which has gone from a clear weakness to a strength for the Niners.
But that doesn't mean there aren't questions about San Francisco's defensive backfield.
Green and Yiadom poised for most important battle
During the second half of last season, with Isaiah Oliver having failed to excel in the role of slot corner he was signed to fill, the 49ers had the versatile Deommodore Lenoir switch between outside corner on base downs and the slot on nickel downs.
The success Lenoir enjoyed in fulfilling that dual role illustrated his status as one of San Francisco's most important defensive players.
But the 49ers made one key decision this offseason that suggests they would rather have Lenoir stick to one spot in 2025, that move being drafting Renardo Green out of Florida State in the second round and immediately having him try his hand at nickel, despite playing the vast majority of his college career on the outside.
The good news: the 49ers were impressed with how Green attacked the challenge of learning an unfamiliar position as well as taking reps at outside corner.
But there is no guarantee he will continue to catch the eye in camp, so there is the distinct possibility that Lenoir will continue to alternate. If the 49ers become of the opinion that Green is not ready, then the most likely scenario would be Lenoir alternating with free agent signing Isaac Yiadom taking his outside corner role on nickel downs as Ambry Thomas did last year.
Yiadom is coming off a stellar year with the New Orleans Saints and, regardless of the outcome of the camp competition, will be vital depth for San Francisco. Yet, with the 49ers playing nickel at the fifth-highest rate in the NFL last season, the prospective fight between Green to prove he can play inside year one and Yiadom, who will be looking to prove he and Lenoir present a better solution, is arguably the most important battle on the entire roster in training camp.
Safety depth looms as a concern
While the 49ers suddenly appear to have quite a lot of strength in depth at cornerback, the opposite is true at safety.
Ji'Ayir Brown, who had an interception in the Super Bowl but has only five regular-season starts to his name, is seemingly penciled in to start alongside 2022 All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga, who is coming off a torn ACL.
The main backup options behind that pair are rookie Malik Mustapha and special teamer George Odum.
In short, the situation is hardly reassuring. The 49ers, though, have the means to add at the position and could bring in a quality veteran with the likes of Justin Simmons and Quandre Diggs still on the market.
Whether they will do so is one of the biggest lingering questions surrounding the 49ers going into camp.
The Niners are huge admirers of Mustapha's versatility and tackling ability, the fourth-rounder having made plays at all three levels in college at Wake Forest.
His experience playing at linebacker depth suggests that three-safety packages that help fill the void left by linebacker Dre Greenlaw's injury could be in the playbook for San Francisco in 2025. However, without a veteran to serve as that extra layer of protection against injury to Brown and Hufanga, it's difficult to see the 49ers putting Mustapha in harm's way when they don't need to.
Who will be CB6?
While the battle between Green and Yiadom figures to be compelling, the reality is there aren't many places in the secondary up for grabs
Unless somebody is brought in as a free agent, the safety depth chart is basically set, and the same can be said of much of the depth chart at corner.
Charvarius Ward and Lenoir are starters, with Green and Yiadom essentially vying to be CB3. Rock Ya-Sin, another free agent acquisition, has over $1 million in guaranteed money on his deal.
With five spots therefore taken, that leaves the question of whether the 49ers intend to carry a sixth corner and, if so, who will it be? Thomas' stock improved last season as he performed well in his role on nickel downs, that was until his play took a nosedive in the postseason and led to him being benched for the Super Bowl.
The 49ers may be tired of his inconsistencies, but he has vastly more experience than his rivals for the spot. Darrell Luter Jr. saw little action as a fifth-round rookie last year while Samuel Womack III has been lightly used since losing the nickel job to Lenoir at the start of 2022. San Francisco also signed Chase Lucas, who can play nickel and has special teams upside, this offseason.
If any such competition were decided on experience and talent, Thomas would have it won. But he has not consistently harnessed that talent, and the 49ers may decide that a longer look at a newer player like Luter may be a better option with no real danger of the CB6 getting significant playing time due to the depth ahead of them.
