Jason Verrett, in April, signed a one-year deal to remain with the San Francisco 49ers. He didn't have an opportunity to sufficiently prove his worth last year, landing on injured reserve after trying to return from a torn Achilles. This time, however, it was because of an ankle injury suffered a year ago during training camp.
In the cornerback's six NFL seasons, he has only once managed to keep off of injured reserve. He had a brief appearance last year during Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers before the 49ers decided to shelve him or the season.
San Francisco initially gambled on Verrett, hoping to get the player from 2015 who earned a Pro Bowl selection. It gambled again this offseason by re-signing him.
"Gamble," by the way, is a word used by head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
"We definitely like the player and the person we gambled on," Shanahan said last season. "He's done everything he can to get back."
Said Lynch last offseason: "He hasn't been healthy, so there's a lot of risk-reward there, but we wanted to add there, and we took a gamble. We think that's a good flyer."
The two "gambles" may pay off this season, as Verrett is among those competing for the right to start opposite Richard Sherman. The GPS device embedded in his shoulder pads recently clocked a speed of 22.2 mph during training camp, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. A similar device recorded him hitting a mark of 22.5 mph with the Chargers in 2014.
"I was definitely happy with that," Verrett told Barrows on Saturday. "After all the surgeries that I've been through, just being able to get to the 21 and the 22 (mph) mark. And I definitely credit the strength coaching staff for getting me back to those speed marks."
Verrett has been solid in training camp. While Emmanuel Moseley, who started against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV, is considered the frontrunner for the job opposite Sherman, Verrett is garnering a lot of attention from coaches.
"Verrett has a new confidence," defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said this week.
We'll have to wait and see if his training camp outings are enough to unseat Moseley and fend off Ahkello Witherspoon.
"He's way further along this year," Sherman said this week. "His feet look incredible. His confidence is rising with every day. He's so sound, and he's so hard on himself, and so tough on himself. But he's been fantastic at the line of scrimmage. That's something that, coming into camp, he wanted to improve on, and something that he's improved drastically on just from last year.
"In his best years, he was incredible at the line of scrimmage. I think he's regaining that form and that confidence, and it's been exciting to see for our team."
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