Beyond a horror show for Brock Purdy on a huge primetime stage, one of the more eyebrow-raising aspects of the San Francisco 49ers' Christmas Day defeat to the Baltimore Ravens was their decision to give veteran cornerback playing time in a huge spot.

Verrett played five snaps in the 49ers' Week 16 loss, having been signed back to the practice squad for a second spell with the team last month. It was his first action since the 49ers' 2021 season opener, during which he tore his ACL, and it did not go to plan, Verrett giving up a touchdown to Nelson Agholor after starting the second half as the Niners' slot corner.

Rookie Darrell Luter Jr. went into the game in the fourth quarter ahead of Verrett when Ambry Thomas left with an injury, and the former Pro Bowler, who has suffered a series of devastating injury setbacks in his career, was not elevated from the practice squad for a second week as the 49ers locked up the one seed in the NFC with a bounce-back win over the Washington Commanders.

But the benefit of that victory, which proved enough to seal a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs because of the Philadelphia Eagles' loss to the Arizona Cardinals, is not only the opportunity to rest key players for the meaningless regular-season finale.

Verrett's potential opportunity

There is an additional plus point of getting the chance to evaluate backups like Verrett and assess whether they will be able to rely on him if needed in the pressure cooker of the postseason.

Evaluating Verrett on a small sample size of snaps, his first for over 800 days, would be unfair. 

Now, the 49ers can elevate him from the practice squad for a second time, knowing that there is no limit on how many times they can do so in their upcoming postseason campaign.

In essence, San Francisco can start Verrett for a full game with no jeopardy surrounding his performance and determine whether he is a player who can help them in the postseason. If he struggles, then at worst he is an emergency option and they have lost nothing. If he excels, then the Niners will be able to feel very good about their secondary depth.

A slot solution

Verrett will likely get his shot in the slot, with head coach Kyle Shanahan having been very clear that is position to which both team and player feel he is best suited.

"I mean, that’s what he’s been playing here these last two weeks," Shanahan said. 

"That’s what he played for the four weeks he was in Houston. That's what he wants to play."

The 49ers have found a starting combination that works at corner, with Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir playing on the outside on base downs and Ambry Thomas coming into the lineup on nickel downs, allowing Lenoir to kick inside to the slot.

Where Verrett could be valuable is in giving them a viable backup at nickel behind Lenoir, with Isaiah Oliver having produced largely unconvincing performances in that role after signing in free agency this offseason. If Verrett can impress and nail down a job as the backup slot, it would potentially free up Oliver to focus on a transition to safety, where he will likely play against the Rams with Tashaun Gipson out.

It always pays in the NFL to have as many potential answers as possible, and the lack of danger in Sunday's regular-season closer should allow the 49ers to make a judgement on whether Verrett can be a potentially extremely useful solution.

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