Should the 49ers Re-Sign Ahkello Witherspoon?
It is going to be free agents galore for the 49ers in March.
40-plus players are about to have expired deals once their game against the Seahawks concludes on Sunday. A few free agents will carry a high priority for the 49ers such as Trent Williams. And with the salary cap tight, the 49ers are about to let a lot of players walk.
One player who has started to make it tough on them to let walk is Ahkello Witherspoon.
Since stepping back onto the fields within the past few weeks, Witherspoon has turned back the clock to how he looked prior to injuring his ankle in Week 3 of 2019. This is the Witherspoon the 49ers have been trying their hardest to bring out. It is also why I had some hope for him to bounce back following an offseason to hit the reset button.
Cornerback is a position of need for the 49ers, especially for depth. Witherspoon can provide that and more. So should the 49ers re-sign Witherspoon when he becomes a free agent?
The 49ers should definitely consider it and probably give him another one-year deal. His recent performance isn't enough to invest much in him money-wise, but he has definitely done enough for the 49ers to want to bring back. They cannot go into 2021 with only a couple of familiar cornerbacks.
Witherspoon ending the season on a strong note on Sunday would only clear up any questions or concerns the 49ers may have bringing him back. To a certain degree, the 49ers might even be forced to attempt to bring him back. Aside from Emmanuel Moseley who is a restricted free agent, almost every cornerback who started for the 49ers in 2020 is set to be a free agent. There is no guarantee that K'Waun Williams and Jason Verrett will return, or if the 49ers can afford both.
Even Witherspoon wanting to return to San Francisco might not be a lock.
He may feel that he needs a change of scenery still, especially since he is just a depth player to the 49ers. Do not be shocked if Witherspoon looks to join up with Robert Saleh wherever he ends up becoming a head coach. At least with Saleh, Witherspoon knows he can excel in his scheme and gets the best of both worlds with familiarity and change of scenery.
Regardless of who the 49ers re-sign, they have to address cornerback in the draft.
