There are remarkably few holes in the 49ers' defense. However, if there is an area that can be considered a 'weakness' on that side of the ball, the cornerback position is the obvious candidate, and specifically the slot corner spot where rotation has been the primary theme for the Niners.

San Francisco's options at nickel will receive their biggest test of 2023 when the 49ers face the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football in a matchup that will likely see CeeDee Lamb play most of his snaps in the slot.

Dallas' number one receiver has played 150 of his 220 snaps on the inside this season, per Pro Football Focus, and Steve Wilks anticipates him operating from the slot regularly against the 49ers.

"They move him around quite a bit, but they’re always trying to find and create matchups, so yes," the 49ers defensive coordinator said on Thursday when asked if he expected to see a lot of Lamb in the slot.

Isaiah Oliver is the 49ers' starter at nickel but, when all of the 49ers' top four corners have been healthy, he has split time there with outside starter Deommodore Lenoir.

Lamb will surely see each of that duo as players he can exploit from the slot receiver position. Yet the numbers suggest they are capable of slowing him down.

Of the 42 corners with at least 25 coverage snaps in the slot this season, Oliver and Lenoir each rank in the top 16 for fewest yards per coverage snap allowed, per PFF. Oliver (0.68) is 12th, while Lenoir is in a three-way tie for 14th. Both are in the top 10 for passer rating allowed from the slot, with Oliver (60.7) fifth and Lenoir tied ninth on 77.8.

No wonder, then, that Wilks expressed great confidence in each of his top two slot defenders going into their most significant challenge of the campaign.

"I think Oliver is playing well," said Wilks. "I think you guys have probably seen that from Week 1 to last week. I think he’s doing some great things. He’s great out in space, can make those hard tackles. I think he does a great job covering his slot and bringing pressure off the edge. When we bring Demo [Lenoir] inside and put [CB Ambry] A.T. [Thomas] outside, I don't think we miss a beat. So yes, I am pleased where we are right now at the nickel position."

Per PFF, the 49ers are right at the league average in their usage of man and zone coverage. They use man 24 percent of the time and zone on 76 percent of defensive snaps, meaning that — while Lamb will often find himself operating in tight spaces against a defense that excels at squeezing the throwing windows when playing zone — he will also have opportunities to go against Oliver and Lenoir one on one.

Such matchups would appear to be heavily weighted in favor of two-time Pro Bowler Lamb, but Oliver and Lenoir are playing well enough to at least level the playing field and ensure arguably the Cowboys' biggest matchup advantage is not one that decides the game.

49ers GM John Lynch pays heartfelt tribute to Dick Butkus

The Bears linebacker was an inspiration for Lynch.