After an impressive preseason, cornerback Samuel Womack played just two defensive snaps on Sunday night against the Denver Broncos. They weren't at slot cornerback, though. Instead, the San Francisco 49ers opted to go with second-year cornerback Deommodore Lenoir at that position, where he played 35 defensive snaps.
During a conference call on Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan explained that decision.
"We just liked how he's been looking," Shanahan said. "We were trying to put the best people out there that we think gives us the best chance to win, and just from the last few weeks, and watching him practice and everything, we felt that was D-Mo, and I was real happy with how he played too. I thought he was one of the better guys out there last night."
Lenoir's 35 snaps were his most since Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers in 2021. He has earned a 61.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus this season. Womack earned a 73.0 overall grade while playing 25 snaps at slot cornerback and five snaps at other defensive positions in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks.
The 49ers defense held the Broncos offense to just nine points on Sunday night. Two of their 11 total points came courtesy of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who stepped out of the back of the end zone in the third quarter, resulting in a safety.
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