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The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2022 season with one of the deepest rosters in the NFL. That's why, even with an inexperienced quarterback at the helm of the offense, most expected a return to the playoffs for the Bay Area squad.
The 49ers dealt with a historic number of injuries in 2020, which was reflected in the team's record. After playing the Carolina Panthers on the Bank of America Stadium turf in Charlotte, San Francisco is dealing with another slew of injuries. The team lost starting cornerback Emmanuel Moseley for the season to a torn ACL. Star defensive end
Nick Bosa is dealing with a groin injury. In his first game back from injured reserve, safety Jimmie Ward broke his hand on the opening kickoff.
Even the 49ers' kicker, Robbie Gould, was added to the injury list. He suffered a left knee contusion.
Moseley is the tough one, though. The veteran cornerback was playing at a high level, earning a career-high 70.9 Pro Football Focus grade through his limited sample size of five games. Opposing quarterbacks owned a 63.5 passer rating when targeting Moseley. To put that into perspective, that is even better than the 69.7 passer rating allowed by the high-priced starter opposite him,
Charvarius Ward, who has been playing phenomenal football.
San Francisco's depth will be tested this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons. General manager John Lynch believes the team is better equipped in 2022 compared to previous seasons to overcome its losses.
"I think this year, we've been really good on defense," Lynch said on KNBR's
Murph & Mac show. "I think a large part of that is how strong we've been. We've been strong as a defense for some time. Last year, the number three ranked defense. ... We're rolling pretty good right now, and we should be because we're good at every position, and DeMeco [Ryans] has done a tremendous job.
"But last year, what he accomplished, we just didn't have the manpower at corner last year. We had allocated our resources elsewhere. I think this year, we're much better equipped. You never want to lose a guy like Moseley, but there's a lot of candidates to step up for him."
San Francisco has options. The 49ers haven't tipped their hand regarding Sunday's starter opposite Ward. A pair of second-year cornerbacks gained valuable experience last season and could be called upon to fill in. But they aren't the only options.
"A guy like
Deommodore Lenoir is playing at a really high level for us; has been playing some nickel but can play outside as well," Lynch continued. "
Ambry Thomas gained valuable playing experience at the end of last year and played at a high level. Sam Womack, Dontae Johnson—so we have candidates within this organization, and I think the depth will be called upon.
"... We can't miss a beat, and that's easy to say, harder to do when you're losing a guy like Moseley, but I think we've got the guys who can do it. And everybody else has got to step their game up a little."
The 49ers also have
Jason Verrett returning from last year's ACL injury. The team opened his 21-day practice window last week, and he could be eased into action once activated.
The 49ers and Falcons kick off from Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch and Offensive Line coach Chris Foerster were in Seattle on Saturday scouting prospects of the Washington Huskies. While Washington has multiple talented draft prospects, the fact that Foerster was accompanying Lynch is notable considering Washington has two offensive linemen who are getting a lot of attention—Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten.
Per source, John Lynch, Chris Foerster looked at several Washington draft prospects today. Huskies are loaded with draft talent, including …WR: Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk, Jalen McMillanOL: Troy Fautanu, Roger RosengartenEDGE:
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
