Potential 49ers target granted permission to seek trade
Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has been connected with the San Francisco 49ers as a potential target ahead of the trade deadline. The odds of a move for Johnson become reality appear to have increased after multiple reports revealed he had requested a trade. Chicago subsequently acquiesced to that request, giving him permission to seek […]
Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has been connected with the San Francisco 49ers as a potential target ahead of the trade deadline.
The odds of a move for Johnson become reality appear to have increased after multiple reports revealed he had requested a trade. Chicago subsequently acquiesced to that request, giving him permission to seek a move elsewhere.
Johnson is enjoying a highly impressive season for the 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).
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the 49ers, along with the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers, have been active in the cornerback market.
For the 49ers, acquiring Johnson would likely man kicking one of their current outside starters, Deommodore Lenoir, inside to play the slot.
The nickel spot has emerged as a big problem area for San Francisco. Current starter Isaiah Oliver allowed eight catches on targets for 71 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Lenoir has played 49 snaps in the slot this season and performed well. 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.
The Niners are running out of time to swing a trade deadline deal that could improve a defense that has struggled significantly in the last two weeks.
Speaking in his Monday conference call, Kyle Shanahan sounded pessimistic about their chances of adding to the roster.
"I know [general manager] John's [Lynch] been working on that for the last month. He's talking with everyone, as every team does right now. If we think there is a chance to improve us, we'll do it. It doesn't sound like there's a lot of options out there, but doesn't mean for sure no. I know we'll look up that all the way up to the deadline and see if anything changes."
Johnson now stands as a definitive option who is definitely out there, and it would greatly benefit the 49ers to agree a deal to land a corner who can be a short-term fix and a mainstay of the defense for years to come.
49ers injury update won’t improve the mood going into bye week
A starter is set to miss at least two games.
