Emmanuel Moseley vs. Ahkello Witherspoon: 49ers Training Camp Battle
The next few days, I will preview the 49ers’ top training-camp battles for 2020. Previously, I broke down the battle to be the starting right guard: Tom Compton versus Daniel Brunskill. Now, I break down the battle to be the starting right cornerback:
Emmanuel Moseley versus Ahkello Witherspoon
Truthfully, this shouldn’t even be a competition.
Witherspoon lost this job so many times last season, and Moseley played well, with the exception of his gaff on third and 15 during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl.
But the 49ers aren’t a meritocracy. They award starting jobs to players they believe are the best, not necessarily players who have performed the best on the field. That’s why running back Tevin Coleman started 11 games last season and Raheem Mostert started none. The 49ers believe in Coleman, even though Mostert averaged 1.6 yards per carry more than him.
And the 49ers believe in Witherspoon -- that’s why they kept giving him chances to play last season even when he struggled. They felt he had begun to establish himself as an upper-echelon No. 1 cornerback in the NFL before he injured his foot during Week 3.
I suspect the 49ers feel his poor play during the second half of the season was a result of his injury and time off. So I expect they’ll give him another chance to win the job in training camp.
And if he’s healthy, Witherspoon just might win the competition.
He was phenomenal in last year’s training camp, because he played behind a monster pass rush, and covered young, inexperienced wide receivers and dominated them.
Witherspoon will face similar conditions this year. He should build confidence covering Brandon Aiyuk and Dante Pettis, and give the coaching staff a reason to reinsert him into the starting lineup.
I fully expect Witherspoon to start Week 1 against the Cardinals.
But how soon will he give the job back to Moseley?
Witherspoon plays so well in practice, but seems to lose confidence in games if he gives up just one catch. He doesn’t seem to have Moseley’s or Richard Sherman’s self belief.
So even though Witherspoon may win the job in training camp, I expect he’ll give it to Moseley by the end of the season, just like 2019.
