49ers can fix huge defensive issue with trade for Jaylon Johnson
The San Francisco 49ers have been on something of a rollercoaster with the slot cornerback position during the 2023 season. Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was the clearest sign yet that it's time to get off the ride. San Francisco signed Isaiah Oliver in the offseason with the intention of him being the starting […]
The San Francisco 49ers have been on something of a rollercoaster with the slot cornerback position during the 2023 season. Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was the clearest sign yet that it's time to get off the ride.
San Francisco signed Isaiah Oliver in the offseason with the intention of him being the starting slot. It quickly became apparent he was in a competition for snaps there after a shaky preseason, but some more impressive showings, most notably in the Week 2 win over the Los Angeles Rams, saw the former Atlanta Falcon solidify his grip on that role.
But Oliver was picked on continually as the Niners' slumped to a third successive loss with a defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals, and his performance should motivate San Francisco to find a more convincing solution, with a potential move for a Pro Bowl-caliber player an answer that could solve that problem area for the short and the long term.
A slot solution
A name that has been widely connected with the 49ers is Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
Johnson is an outside corner, but his arrival would likely facilitate a shift to the nickel position for Deommodore Lenoir, who has played 49 snaps in the slot this season and performed well in that spot.
Indeed, among corners with at least 25 snaps in the slot, Lenoir ranks 11th in passer rating allowed (77.8) and 10th in yards per snap (0.73), per Pro Football Focus.
While that is over a small sample size, Lenoir's numbers are in stark contrast to those of Oliver, who has surrendered a passer rating of 112.5 when defending from the slot and allowed 1.19 yards per snap. He has allowed a reception every 6.5 coverage snaps, the ninth-highest rate among slot defenders (min. 25 snaps).
On Sunday, Oliver was targeted eight times. He allowed eight receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown, which came as the Bengals immediately cashed in on a Brock Purdy turnover. Oliver was duped into expected a screen and was then burnt by Ja'Marr Chase on a slot fade, giving Cincinnati a 24-10 lead.
Oliver is a player whom the 49ers might be able to hide against some lesser opponents, but the Bengals proved the elite teams will punish him, and the Niners can't afford to have a potential playoff liability in a starting position if they are to threaten to go all the way this campaign.
Johnson's impressive 2023
A trade for Johnson would not only enable the 49ers to improve their slot defense by switching Lenoir inside, but also give them an outside corner whom the numbers say has been one of the best in the NFL in 2023.
Johnson has served as a huge bright spot for the 2-6 Chicago Bears. He has the third-highest PFF coverage grade among corners with at least 50 coverage snaps and ranks fourth in passer rating allowed (37.3). In the Bears' 30-13 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, he gave up just one catch for nine yards on three targets.
The difficulty in striking a deal for Johnson may lie finding the right price for a player who is a free agent at the end of the season. San Francisco has 12 picks in the 2024 draft but might be reluctant to give up too much for a player who could end up signing elsewhere next offseason given the clear need to refresh the roster with young talent in the draft.
Johnson is only 24 so would provide the 49ers with a young potential cornerstone on the defense, yet San Francisco's cap space issues for next year might make a long-term deal difficult to do. Only six teams have a smaller amount of projected 2024 cap space than the Niners, per Over The Cap.
Still the Niners' organization firmly believes it has a roster ready to win the Super Bowl. Going into the bye amid an alarming slump, it is clear aggressive moves may be required from them to have a hope of realizing that ambition. Johnson is a player whose arrival would instantly upgrade the secondary and its overall depth and give the 49ers the additional flexibility to fix an increasingly worrying problem on the defensive side.
It might be a tricky deal for the 49ers to do, but it would greatly benefit them to find a way to make it happen.
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