Emmanuel Moseley Doubtful Against the Eagles
The 49ers probably won't have either of their starting cornerbacks Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
No. 1 cornerback Jason Verrett has a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. And No. 2 cornerback Emmanuel Moseley has a knee injury he suffered before the season opener and the 49ers list him as doubtful. Which means he almost certainly will not play. Never have I seen the 49ers play someone on Sunday whom they listed as doubtful on Friday.
So against the Eagles, the 49ers most likely will have to start their third and fourth cornerbacks -- rookie Deommodore Lenoir, who started last week and played well, and presumably veteran Josh Norman, who signed with the 49ers just a couple weeks ago and was inactive against the Detroit Lions.
If Norman doesn't play, the 49ers will have to start rookie Ambry Thomas, who has struggled to make easy tackles, or veteran Dontae Johnson, who's terrible, or veteran Dre Kirkpatrick, who's even worse than Johnson.
Norman is the 49ers' best option right now. And if Richard Sherman hadn't his his breakdown during the offseason, he probably would be the 49ers' best option, because he's better than Norman. But Sherman doesn't appear to be an option for any team right now, so Norman it is.
This Sunday, he at times will have to cover Eagles rookie first-round pick Devonta Smith, who won the Heisman Trophy last season and already appears to be the Eagles' No. 1 target. Is Norman up to the challenge?
He better be. He's the 49ers' only hope.
