The 49ers Secondary Looks Considerably Better than it did in 2021
It's still extremely early in the offseason, so take this for what it's worth, but the 49ers secondary looks considerably better than it did in 2021.
Last Tuesday when the 49ers practiced for the first time this offseason in front of the media, Trey Lance completed 18 of 21 passes -- excellent for him, not for the defense. But it was mostly 7-on-7 -- meaning no pass rush -- and Lance completed zero long passes, and 13 of his completions went to tight ends and running backs.
When Lance tested the starting cornerbacks, he was unsuccessful. He targeted Charvarius Ward twice while throwing to Jauan Jennings both times and completed neither pass. Then Lance targeted Emmanuel Moseley once while throwing to Brandon Aiyuk and that pass landed incomplete, too.
The only wide receiver who caught a pass against the 49ers' starting secondary was slot receiver Ray Ray McCloud, who caught two 15-yard passes over the middle against Darqueze Dennard, the starting nickelback for now, but maybe not for long.
Which means the 49ers cornerbacks completely outmatched the 49ers' wide outs.
Keep in mind, Deebo Samuel wasn't there, and George Kittle didn't practice, and when those two return in training camp, the secondary's job will become much more difficult. But by then, the secondary also will have the benefit of a pass rush, and Lance will have to get rid of the ball quickly. And as we saw during the first week of OTAs, he doesn't seem confident targeting Aiyuk or Jennings when they're covered by Moseley or Ward.
Get ready to see lots of check downs against the 49ers defense this season.
