San Francisco 49ers may have solved one of their most significant issues with underrated free agent move
The San Francisco 49ers headed into the offseason with cornerback a clear area of need despite the success of starters Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir. San Francisco's issue pertained to the slot, which had been a problem area for much of 2023 as the signing of Isaiah Oliver to man the starting nickel role proved […]
The San Francisco 49ers headed into the offseason with cornerback a clear area of need despite the success of starters Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir.
San Francisco's issue pertained to the slot, which had been a problem area for much of 2023 as the signing of Isaiah Oliver to man the starting nickel role proved a misguided one. With Oliver essentially benched at the bye week, Lenoir kicked inside to play the slot on nickel downs with Ambry Thomas taking his spot at outside corner.
But Thomas' struggles in the 49ers' postseason campaign led to him being benched for Logan Ryan in Super Bowl 58 and, with Oliver released last month, finding a solution at nickel ranked high on the list of San Francisco's offseason tasks.
The Niners met with several nickel corners in this year's draft class at the Combine and may yet address the position at next month's annual selection meeting. However, they could have already found a potential fix after making an underrated move on the open market on Friday.
San Francisco, per his agents Vayner Sports, is signing cornerback Isaac Yiadom to a one-year deal.
It is not a signing that will move the needle in the wider NFL world, but it could have huge importance for the Niners.
Yiadom, a third-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2018, is coming off the best season of his career, enjoying an excellent campaign in his second year with the New Orleans Saints.
He racked up 14 pass breakups for the Saints in 2023 and, per Sports Info Solutions, allowed a completion percentage of just 38.5%, tied for the fourth-best among cornerbacks with at least 25 targets. Yiadom was ninth by yards per attempt allowed (5.1) and finished 13th by positive play rate allowed (35.9%).
Yiadom produced that impressive level of play while operating almost exclusively at outside corner.
There is no guarantee his play with the Saints will translate to his spell with the 49ers. However, his extremely strong performances in his sixth season in the NFL should give the Niners confidence Yiadom could be the man to serve as the starting outside corner on nickel downs in 2024, allowing Lenoir to continue rotating as he did last year
Yiadom's arrival does not prevent the 49ers from taking one of the slot corners on whom they have done their homework during the draft cycle. Instead, they can now have the best of both worlds and potentially feel secure in their top three corners while developing a rookie to start in the slot long term.
It would be a significant overstatement at this point to call the signing of Yiadom a cure-all. Yet, with one move that will fly under the radar of most, the 49ers are suddenly in a much better position at corner and could have at least a short-term solution in the slot.
When the 49ers look back on their free agency business come the end of next season, the signing of Yiadom may well prove to have been their most astute.
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It will make their games even more interesting.
