Last month Pro Football Focus released its ranking of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. One member of the San Francisco 49ers' secondary featured prominently, with Charvarius Ward ranked third after a 2023 campaign that saw him named second-team All-Pro.
However, there was a glaring omission from a list that featured 32 players, namely the man who started across from Ward during the 2023 season, Deommodore Lenoir.
Lenoir was not even named among the group of corners that 'just missed' a place on the list, his absence an extremely surprising one given the extent to which he impressed in his first full season as a starter.
That is not to say Lenoir did enough to earn a place on he upper echelons of such a list. He has more to do to be considered one of the very best at his position in the NFL, but there's little doubt he's a defender worthy of more respect after a stellar 2023 season.
Though he was overshadowed by Ward's ascent to lockdown corner, Lenoir established himself as a pivotal player for the 49er defense, one capable of wearing different hats and excelling playing a range of different coverages.
Lenoir's on-ball production took a big-time jump in 2023. He doubled his tally of pass breakups from five in 2022 to 10 and recorded three interceptions, yet his impact is reflected better by his advanced numbers in coverage.
Per Sports Info Solutions, Lenoir ranked second in passer rating against (32.8) among cornerbacks with at least 25 targets while playing Cover 0, Cover 1 and Cover 2 man, illustrating his prowess in man to man coverage that became apparent as he thrived down the stretch in the 2022 season after injuries helped thrust him into a starting role. On top of that, he was 14th among those 42 corners in Expected Points Added per target.
The 49ers remain primarily a zone coverage team, though, and Lenoir was firmly on the right side of the ledger in that area of the game.
Of the 63 corners with at least 25 targets playing Cover 2, Cover 3, Cover 4 and Cover 6, Lenoir was 19th in passer rating against (67.4).
Across all coverages (min. 25 targets), Lenoir was 14th in EPA per target allowed and eighth in passer rating allowed (56.4), numbers that are made all the more impressive by the fact he spent the second half of last season rotating between playing outside corner on base downs and in the slot on nickel downs.
Whether he is asked to do the same in 2024 depends on the progress of one of the 49ers' newest additions at the cornerback position, second-round pick Renardo Green, whom San Francisco has used at nickel during OTAs and minicamp.
But the fact Lenoir has proven he can shine playing two spots underscores why he is worthy of greater recognition, and that's without even considering the physical play he brings in the run game for the 49ers.
Whether another strong season would see him receive that recognition is unclear, but it would evidently make it more difficult for the Niners to keep him around.
Like Ward, Lenoir is a free agent at the end of the 2024 season. Unlike Ward, Lenoir does not have dead money on his contract beyond this year. With Ward counting against the cap for three seasons after 2024 regardless of whether he is re-signed, it is the All-Pro whom the Niners are likely to prioritize among their corners in an offseason in which a Brock Purdy contract is almost certain to be top of the agenda.
As such, Lenoir isn't only playing to try get the 49ers back to the Super Bowl after last season's heartbreak, but also to put himself in the strongest position possible to cash in on the open market.
Lenoir's career is unquestionably on an upward trajectory. As long as he maintains it, the respect PFF did not give him should come in the form of a lucrative contract next year.
