The NFL is becoming increasingly dominated by offenses that favour throwing the ball ahead of running it with each year that passes (no pun intended). This is a widely accepted phenomenon that has only been accelerated by the emergence of more pro-style offenses within the college game, which produces the next generation of elite NFL quarterbacks and receivers.
In order to combat the growth and the evolution of the passing game, NFL secondaries are coming under ever increasing scrutiny. Cornerback tangibles, talents and skills are being analysed and honed to the nth degree as NFL teams look to stem the flow of the passing game.
With all of this in mind let's take a look at how the 49ers cornerbacks are performing in 2014 and assess what the future holds for this group of players.
With all of this in mind let's take a look at how the 49ers cornerbacks are performing in 2014 and assess what the future holds for this group of players.
Entering the 2014 season the cornerback position was seen as an area of weakness for the 49ers, particularly after Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers departed in the offseason, losses that San Francisco addressed through the elevation of the remaining corners and the roster and the addition of players through the draft.
Chris Culliver returned from injury to claim one starting spot and Tramaine Brock kept the other having won the job midway through a breakout 2013 season for which he was rewarded with a new four-year contract in November.
Perrish Cox was retained on a one-year contract and both Jimmie Ward and Dontae Johnson were added through the draft. Chris Cook arrived on a one-year deal following a disappointing spell with the Minnesota Vikings, while Eric Wright was brought back before he made the decision to retire.
Perrish Cox was retained on a one-year contract and both Jimmie Ward and Dontae Johnson were added through the draft. Chris Cook arrived on a one-year deal following a disappointing spell with the Minnesota Vikings, while Eric Wright was brought back before he made the decision to retire.
Prior to the season concerns were raised over the consistency of this group of cornerbacks. Culliver had shown flashes of dominance in his career, but also committed a number of mistakes with his natural aggression sometimes getting the better of him as he sought out big hits and big plays only to be burned by opposing, more experienced players.
However, the coaching staff had seen enough of the young man to believe that the weaknesses could be coached out of him and that he could become a top tier player worthy of starting for the team.
Culliver was a mid-round draft but Brock's path to becoming a starter with the 49ers was much more complicated. After going undrafted in 2010, Brock bounced around the active roster and the practice squad before seeing his first consistent playing time in 2011.
Brock earned further experience in 2012 before exploding in 2013, a season in which he recorded five interceptions - with one returned for a touchdown - and made the all-important pass deflection that was caught by Navorro Bowman and returned 89 yards for a touchdown in the final ever game at Candlestick Park.
The 26-year-old earned his starting job by doggedly working his way from undrafted rookie, to special teams stalwart, to stand out player in 2013. Still relatively young but with four years of valuable experience, the 49ers signed Brock to a four-year, $13million in November and hopes were high that he would continue his rise and become the high calibre corner that the Niners desired.
Culliver is having a very solid season, although his big-play ability has not really shone through as much as it has in the past. This may not be a bad thing, though, as it probably also means that he is giving up fewer deep plays.
The 655 plays Culliver has seen this season are the most of any 49er cornerback. He is owner of the best Pro Football Focus pass coverage on the team, with an impressive score of 5.8. The next highest grade is Dontae Johnson's 2.0 mark, however, the rookie has had nowhere near as much playing time, featuring on 233 defensive snaps.
The 655 plays Culliver has seen this season are the most of any 49er cornerback. He is owner of the best Pro Football Focus pass coverage on the team, with an impressive score of 5.8. The next highest grade is Dontae Johnson's 2.0 mark, however, the rookie has had nowhere near as much playing time, featuring on 233 defensive snaps.
Culliver is allowing just over 56 percent of the balls thrown his way to be caught by opposing receivers. This isn't in the range of the elite cornerbacks in the league, but it is by no means the worst total from a starting corner.
In comparison, the top 10 corner with the lowest catch percentage rating is Vontae Davis with 45 percent. Desmond Trufant from the Atlanta Falcons is the No. 6 overall cornerback CB in the league and has given up catches on 58.6 percent of the passes thrown in his direction. Therefore it is clear that Culliver is actually performing pretty well indeed in this statistic.
In comparison, the top 10 corner with the lowest catch percentage rating is Vontae Davis with 45 percent. Desmond Trufant from the Atlanta Falcons is the No. 6 overall cornerback CB in the league and has given up catches on 58.6 percent of the passes thrown in his direction. Therefore it is clear that Culliver is actually performing pretty well indeed in this statistic.
Culliver's yards-per-catch average of 12.3 yards is also very respectable, as is the rating of quarterbacks when throwing towards him, which stands at 80.2.
The best corners in the league have QB rating numbers between 40 and 70, although the Kansas City Chief's Sean Smith - ranked at No. 7 in the league - has a QBR of 83.7.
The best corners in the league have QB rating numbers between 40 and 70, although the Kansas City Chief's Sean Smith - ranked at No. 7 in the league - has a QBR of 83.7.
Former South Carolina Gamecock Culliver has given up three touchdowns in 13 games but has also come away with 2 interceptions.
All in all Culliver is playing extremely well and much better than most pundits give him credit for. PFF has him ranked as the No. 15 corner in the league, tied for that position with Antonio Cromartie of the Arizona Cardinals.
Tramaine Brock has been unable to carry his momentum from the 2013 season in 2014 due to turf toe injury that he sustained in the Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys that has blighted his entire campaign and led to him only playing a minuscule 84 snaps in 13 games.
His statistics are unsurprisingly poor but to be fair to Brock this is partly because he has forced back too early for the Week 7 game with the Denver Broncos in which he gave up two touchdowns, proving once and for all that playing with turf toe against Peyton Manning is never a good idea.
Stepping into the void left by Brock has been Cox. The former Bronco bounced between San Francisco and the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 but, after returning to the Niners and performing strongly in the playoffs, was re-signed to a one-year deal for 2014 and was expected to be a backup to Brock and Culliver.
Fate had other ideas, though, and to his credit Cox has proven himself to be a more than capable deputy. He has garnered some attention from the local media following a five-game period that saw him snag three interceptions. Statistically, however, his performance has been inferior to that of Culliver.
Although Cox has played more snaps (766) and registered more tackles that Culliver (40 compared to 35), Perrish is allowing more yards per catch (14.5) and his catch percentage figure of 58.6 is also higher than Culliver's.
Overall, PFF awards Cox a grade of just 0.1 for pass coverage, which is well below the 5.8 grade given to Culliver.
Cox may have the better QBR rating of 73.2, yet the weekly numbers show that he has been hugely inconsistent. For example, in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Cox earned a 12.8 QBR rating after allowing just 25 percent of the passes thrown his way to be caught by Philly.
Contrast that to Week 10 against the Saints, whose quarterback Drew Brees completed almost 82 percent of passes thrown in the direction of Cox, including one for a touchdown, leading to a QBR of 127.7.
Fate had other ideas, though, and to his credit Cox has proven himself to be a more than capable deputy. He has garnered some attention from the local media following a five-game period that saw him snag three interceptions. Statistically, however, his performance has been inferior to that of Culliver.
Although Cox has played more snaps (766) and registered more tackles that Culliver (40 compared to 35), Perrish is allowing more yards per catch (14.5) and his catch percentage figure of 58.6 is also higher than Culliver's.
Overall, PFF awards Cox a grade of just 0.1 for pass coverage, which is well below the 5.8 grade given to Culliver.
Cox may have the better QBR rating of 73.2, yet the weekly numbers show that he has been hugely inconsistent. For example, in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Cox earned a 12.8 QBR rating after allowing just 25 percent of the passes thrown his way to be caught by Philly.
Contrast that to Week 10 against the Saints, whose quarterback Drew Brees completed almost 82 percent of passes thrown in the direction of Cox, including one for a touchdown, leading to a QBR of 127.7.
There is also a rookie on the squad that is showing a lot of potential for the future. Although his snap count is quite low compared to the main starters, when he is on the field, he is producing. He is only allowing 42 percent of passes in his direction to be caught, and at a minute average of 8.7 yards per catch.
Opposing quarterbacks are achieving a tiny QBR of just 65.2 against the first year player. Even though he is not starting, he is already good enough to be rated as the No. 25 corner in the league. If you upscale his statistics to a snap count of a starter, he would be in the top two or three cornerbacks in the NFL.
Who is this promising talent? It is 2014 fourth-round pick Dontae Johnson.
The 6'2" and 200-pound corner has lined up at both positions on the outside in addition to operating as the primary slot man since Ward was sent to injured reserve. Johnson is doing a remarkable job in his first year and if he can continue this, he has a great shot at being an elite cornerback in the near future.
Opposing quarterbacks are achieving a tiny QBR of just 65.2 against the first year player. Even though he is not starting, he is already good enough to be rated as the No. 25 corner in the league. If you upscale his statistics to a snap count of a starter, he would be in the top two or three cornerbacks in the NFL.
Who is this promising talent? It is 2014 fourth-round pick Dontae Johnson.
The 6'2" and 200-pound corner has lined up at both positions on the outside in addition to operating as the primary slot man since Ward was sent to injured reserve. Johnson is doing a remarkable job in his first year and if he can continue this, he has a great shot at being an elite cornerback in the near future.
Johnson is not just performing well, but he has outperformed fellow rookie and first-round pick Ward, who allowed four touchdowns, a 72 percent catch completion rate and a whopping QBR of 134.3 before his season was brought to an end with his pass coverage grade standing at -3.1.
In comparison, over a similar number of snaps, Dontae Johnson's grade is 1.9.
Ward has had to battle injuries all season while adapting to the NFL, which could explain a lot of the issues seen in his play. Firstly, Ward missed Week 7 of the season with a quadriceps injury. He was then placed on IR on November 15 with a suspected fractured foot. Who knows how long the foot was bothering him? Hopefully he recovers well going into 2015 and we can see the best of him next year.
In comparison, over a similar number of snaps, Dontae Johnson's grade is 1.9.
Ward has had to battle injuries all season while adapting to the NFL, which could explain a lot of the issues seen in his play. Firstly, Ward missed Week 7 of the season with a quadriceps injury. He was then placed on IR on November 15 with a suspected fractured foot. Who knows how long the foot was bothering him? Hopefully he recovers well going into 2015 and we can see the best of him next year.
The final cornerback on the roster who has seen playing time is Chris Cook. The former Viking has been mainly used on special teams, although he has seen limited usage on passing plays too. He has displayed some promise but the 48 snaps in which he has featured is to low of a number to make a proper judgement. Cook was placed on IR on October 25 due to a hamstring injury;
So how can we sum up the cornerback play of the 49ers this season? Taking into account all of the depth chart changes since 2013 and the plethora of injuries, I believe that the group of players have played well. Sure, we have seen some games where the cornerbacks have been exposed, but in general they have more than held up against stiff opposition.
Looking ahead at the 2015 season, who can we expect to see lining up in the red and gold? This is where the cornerback situation becomes a concern.
Tramaine Brock is the only experienced player who is signed through next season, with rookies Ward and Johnson being the other players who are contracted long term.
Current starting duo Cox and Culliver are both out of contract at the end of this season. Will general manager Trent Baalke be looking to secure their services on a long-term basis? Or will he try to address the cornerback shortage through the draft?
I doubt we will be a player in the annual free agent bidding wars, as historically Baalke has shown he is not one to overpay for proven talent unless absolutely necessary.
Current starting duo Cox and Culliver are both out of contract at the end of this season. Will general manager Trent Baalke be looking to secure their services on a long-term basis? Or will he try to address the cornerback shortage through the draft?
I doubt we will be a player in the annual free agent bidding wars, as historically Baalke has shown he is not one to overpay for proven talent unless absolutely necessary.
I think Culliver is playing at a high enough level to warrant him being brought back. After several off-the-field issues his mind appears to be focused fully on football. I think the unwanted 'extra curricular activity' has been the main reason why we have not seen Baalke resign Culliver until now, but that may change now that he has hopefully turned a corner.
That being said, if Dontae Johnson continues to make the most of his chances this season, he may well get a shot at a starting role next year.
Bringing Chris Cook back on a veteran minimum may be advantageous too, if only to further assess his play in the hopes that his talent manifests itself onto the field of play.
The cornerback position remains one of intrigue for the 49ers and it will be interesting to see how they address that spot come the offseason.
The cornerback position remains one of intrigue for the 49ers and it will be interesting to see how they address that spot come the offseason.
Stay tuned 49er Faithful….
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