Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
When San Francisco 49ers starting cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon went down during Week 3, there was so much concern surrounding how the team would respond. Maybe they would be aggressive and pursue Jalen Ramsey, now with the Los Angeles Rams.
The calm and collected 49ers just pushed forward.
They had a lot of faith in second-year cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, and the defender has shown fans why over the past two games.
"He's been awesome," general manager John Lynch said Thursday
on KNBR. "[...] When you can develop those types of guys, and they can come in — that's a tough position. There's no hiding at that position, and we had a lot of belief in Moseley because of what he shows us on the field each and every day. But you never quite know until you put him out there, and he's been up to the challenge."
Moseley has been targeted just seven times since entering the game during Week 3, and given up only 28 yards to receivers, according to Pro Football Focus. Opposing quarterbacks own a passer rating of 66.4 when targeting Moseley.
"It's not a huge surprise because he is very talented but more so because of the way he goes about it," Lynch continued. "He's very much a professional. Although he's early in his career, he approaches this thing the right way.
"Every day he's out there working. He stays late, soaks up as much as he can from guys like [Richard Sherman], from his coaches, and it's really neat to see a guy who works that hard, have the success that he's had.
"He'll continue to be tested because Sherm is on the other side, and he's proven, but Moseley's doing a tremendous job for us. Really love his game because he's got speed, but he's also not afraid to mix it up physically. He's really playing well in all facets."
Then you have Jimmie Ward, the often-injured and often-criticized defensive back who head coach Kyle Shanahan praised on Sunday by saying
he would wear his jersey if he could. After suffering a broken finger before the start of the season, Ward has played some inspiring football, made fans take notice, and maybe even question some of their doubts surrounding the sixth-year defender.
"Jimmie Ward has been awesome," Lynch said. "He always has been, provided he's been healthy. I think you saw (that) the other day.
"People say, 'Why do you stick with a guy like that?' It's because he's a pretty unique player; a guy that can play that physically, yet when its money time, and the game is on the line, third-and-ones, fourth-and-ones, he's covering Gerald Everett, who's a tough cover at the tight end, and then Cooper Kupp, who I really believe is one of the toughest covers in football, and Jimmie Ward is sticking right with him, and two pass breakups in a row."
Ward's performance against the Rams earned him the
game's fourth-highest overall grade (89.8) from Pro Football Focus, behind teammates Dee Ford and
Arik Armstead, and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
"It's nice to see Jimmie's hard work be rewarded," Lynch continued. "He's stayed encouraged through a bunch of injuries, and we're hopeful he can stay healthy because when he does, he's an extremely talented and important player for our football team."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
This week, San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York remarked that the team is preparing to offer quarterback Brock Purdy a substantial deal next year. York views this as a "good problem" because it signifies that, after several setbacks, the 49ers have finally identified their franchise signal-caller.
"I mean, it's what the market is," York said at the NFL owners meetings. "It's not like Brock is going to ask for something that no one has ever asked for before. You have, I don't know how many players making over $40 million as a quarterback right now."
York added, "And whether I like it or not, that's what the market is, and you have to accept the reality of the world. And to me, the
General manager John Lynch addressed reporters at the NFL owners meetings on Monday, emphasizing the San Francisco 49ers' active pursuit of a contract extension for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
There has been significant speculation surrounding Aiyuk's status this offseason. The receiver is slated to play on his fifth-year option, which guarantees him $14.124 million in 2024.
While the team would be content with Aiyuk playing on that fifth-year option, it would prefer to secure the star receiver to a long-term deal before he returns to the field.
RELATED: Brandon Aiyuk reacts to John Lynch's latest contract negotiation
As expected, Michigan's Pro Day has a significant NFL presence. The event features 18 draft-eligible players from the national champion's roster. Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy reports that San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch is among those in attendance.
Lynch is one of nine general managers on hand to evaluate the draft hopefuls.
PRO-DAY UPDATE: Only fitting that national champs @UMichFootball, with record 18 Combine invitees, have biggest NFL turnout for pro-day.Here's list of NFL attendees who'll
A week ago, the NFL penalized the San Francisco 49ers for payroll accounting errors. As punishment, the team forfeited a 2025 fifth-round draft pick and had its fourth-round pick in next month's draft moved to the end of the round.
On Monday, general manager John Lynch addressed reporters at the NFL owners meetings and explained the punishment more thoroughly.
"I have a difference of opinion on the severity of the discipline. We take accountability for what happened," Lynch said.
He revealed that the 49ers overpaid an unspecified player $75,000 during the COVID era, labeling the mistake as a "clerical error" after implementing a new system.
"We own