Nickel cornerback is now the 49ers' most compelling non-quarterback battle
The 49ers went into training camp seemingly with a distinct lack of compelling position battles away from the backup quarterback position. After one preseason game, it's clear they now have an extremely intriguing one at cornerback. Isaiah Oliver was seen by most as a lock to be the 49ers' starting nickel corner, having been signed […]
The 49ers went into training camp seemingly with a distinct lack of compelling position battles away from the backup quarterback position.
After one preseason game, it's clear they now have an extremely intriguing one at cornerback.
Isaiah Oliver was seen by most as a lock to be the 49ers' starting nickel corner, having been signed to a two-year, $6,75 million contract with $2.9 million guaranteed in the offseason. Now his grip on that spot looks to be anything but secure.
Oliver and defensive end Clelin Ferrell, in a competition to start with Drake Jackson, were the only two potential starters at non-specialist positions to feature in the 49ers' preseason opener against the Raiders.
While Ferrell had a highlight when he registered a sack against his former team, Oliver struggled significantly. Per Pro Football Focus, he gave up four receptions, including the Raiders' second touchdown, on which Keelan Cole Sr. was able to stroll into the endzone after Oliver got his eyes caught in the backfield.
In the aftermath of a concerning performance, both head coach Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks have confirmed there is a competition for the position, with the 49ers set to test several solutions.
Wilks described it as a "rolodex of options" at the position, with an already established starter and three players previously not thought to be in the conversation for a starting role now apparently in the mix.
49ers: Isaiah Oliver's competitors for the nickel cornerback role
A.J. Parker
Parker being signed to a futures contract in January did not seem at all significant at the time, but he has become a favorite of the coaching staff and his previous experience of success at inside corner could be to his benefit in a position battle.
A former undrafted free agent who spent the first two seasons of his career in Detroit, Parker started only seven games with the Lions. All seven of those starts came in 2021.
The numbers from that campaign are impressive. Parker had seven pass breakups and an interception and, among corners with at least 25 targets from the slot position, ranked 11th in Expected Points Added allowed per target, per Sports Info Solutions.
That kind of production at least merits Parker consideration for a role nobody would have anticipated him occupying when he signed with the Niners.
D’Shawn Jamison
Parker is not the only UDFA vying to potentially take over the nickel role. Jamison was passed over by all 32 teams in the draft but is on course to make the 49ers’ 53-man roster.
Jamison excelled during offseason activities and carried that through to training camp, with Wilks confirming on Tuesday that they had given him snaps inside. He played exclusively outside in the preseason loss to the Raiders.
The ease with which he took to the role of kick returner last Sunday in the wake of Ray-Ray McCloud's wrist injury should have gone a long way to ensuring his place on the roster.
Given the continual praise Jamison has received from coaches and teammates on both sides of the ball, there's every chance a rookie who had 17 pass breakups and six interceptions in college could find himself occupying two responsibilities to start the campaign.
Deommodore Lenoir
Wilks revealed the 49ers have also tried Lenoir inside, a position he played at the start of last season prior to Emmanuel Moseley going down with a season-ending injury.
Lenoir's performance at outside corner after Moseley went down saw him established as the starter across from Charvarius Ward at that position going into training camp.
But developments behind him on the depth chart have opened the possibility of him kicking back inside on nickel downs. That prospect has been raised by the apparent return to form of Ambry Thomas, who started on the outside late in the 2021 season but was restricted to special teams work after a bad offseason in 2022.
Thomas has received consistent plaudits from Kyle Shanahan for his improved conditioning and his displays in offseason team activities and training camp.
The hype Thomas has garnered proved justified last weekend as he was the standout performer in the secondary against the Raiders.
Playing with an evident confidence about him, Thomas' efforts in the preseason opener have since earned him reps with the first-team defense at outside corner.
If the 49ers have enough faith in Thomas to play him on the outside on nickel downs, that would give them the flexibility to use Lenoir inside.
The numbers from Lenoir's nickel snaps last year don't make for pretty reading. Only two corners with at least 25 targets when playing inside allowed a higher EPA per target than Lenoir (0.46) did last year.
Yet he still looked comfortable in the brief time he spent in the slot and the strides he made down the stretch last season may inspire belief he can produce high level play at that spot this time around.
Though Oliver has competition for snaps inside, that does not mean his role in the secondary is suddenly under threat. With offenses consistently using smaller twitchier wideouts, bigger 'power slots', and tight ends as inside receivers, defenses need to match the variety opposing attacks can throw at them by having a range of different athletes who can play nickel.
Oliver gives them a corner who can win coverage matchups with his size and physicality and also provide upside as a blitzer from the secondary.
But quicker receivers who boast speed and agility could be a problem for him. As such, the 49ers' defense may not be one that features a definitive starting nickel. Instead, San Francisco may look to mix and match depending on the challenge being presented by their opponent from the slot.
Parker and Jamison are unexpectedly in the discussion to be one of the potential answers, while Thomas' resurgence could facilitate the 49ers making use of Lenoir's versatility. Oliver taking the majority of the snaps is still a distinct possibility and the Niners could at least occasionally play rookie safety Ji'Ayir Brown in the slot. He took six snaps there in the preseason opener.
It isn't clear what the Niners will decide, but what is obvious is a position that seemed to have its starter set in stone is a lot more fluid than first thought.
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