Do the 49ers Have a Starting Nickelback?
The 49ers will have an open competition at nickelback this offseason between four defensive backs. But does competition always produce a quality player if none of the competitors are starting-caliber?
The 49ers starting nickel the past five seasons, K'Waun Williams, is a quality player, but he signed with the Broncos this offseason. Maybe the 49ers wanted to get younger (Williams will be 31 this upcoming season). Or maybe they simply couldn't afford him because they STILL have Jimmy Garoppolo and his expensive contract on their books.
Either way, the 49ers' remaining nickelbacks are Darqueze Dennard, who's 30, Dontae Johnson, who also is 30, Deommodore Lenoir, who gives up big plays, and Samuel Womack, who's a rookie fifth-round pick.
Dennard and Johnson are veterans who can play multiple positions, but they're definite downgrades from Williams. Lenoir, a fifth-round pick in 2021, had a strong start to his rookie season as he drew positive reviews in training camp and preseason, but in the regular season he gave up a passer rating of 125.4 and quickly got benched.
That's probably why the 49ers spent another fifth-round pick this year on a potential nickelback in Womack. In OTAs and minicamp, he showed promise in man-to-man coverage. He also used his hands quite a bit, which could lead to penalties during the season, plus he hasn't played with the starters yet, meaning he hasn't covered the 49ers' best receivers. But he almost certainly will during training camp.
It's possible Womack will assert himself as a solid nickel who's ready to start Week 1 of his rookie season.
Barring that, what's the plan here?
