San Francisco 49ers: Reviewing the cornerbacks performances in 2017

The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2017 season with the secondary that wasn’t the strongest in the league. However, they closed out the season looking better.

Everyone knew that the San Francisco 49ers’ secondary would be a weakness entering the 2017 season. With inexperienced youngsters like Rashard Robinson and Dontae Johnson starting, opposing teams were likely to go pass heavy on offense.

And, as expected, many teams relied on the pass against the young 49er secondary.

One of the secondary’s regular victims was Robinson, who accumulated way too many penalties. He even picked them up on on special teams and, in fact, led the team in penalties accrued. Robinson was eventually traded to the New York Jets in exchange for a fifth-round pick.

Robinson, who had a solid rookie year overall, didn’t prove to be the future starter at cornerback for the 49ers though, and was rightfully traded.

Ahkello Witherspoon

Following the Robinson trade, another cornerback had to fill his shoes. The 49ers turned to rookie cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon from Colorado.

He had a rough offseason to start and didn’t look like he would make much of an impact in his first year, but he turned it around to the point that he should be the clear-cut starter when next season starts.

Hopefully, the 6’3″ Witherspoon doesn’t experience a sophomore slump like Robinson because the 49ers can’t afford to go another season with a secondary that’s a liability.

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Witherspoon ended the 2017 season playing 12 games, starting nine of them. He made 32 tackles (28 solo) and had seven passes defensed. Additionally, he registered two interceptions and one forced fumble.

Witherspoon quickly established himself as a playmaker on this squad and primarily started alongside Dontae Johnson. It was a fantastic start for Witherspoon’s promising career.

Dontae Johnson

A four-year pro heading into his fifth season, Dontae Johnson was the other starter for the majority of the games as a cornerback.

He’s proven to be durable, as he has only missed one game in his career so far. And this season, he started all 16 games.

Now a free agent, Johnson did lead the team in tackles, setting a career-high in that category. He registered 77 tackles, but mainly because he allowed a plethora of catches. Penalties were another negative of Johnson’s 2017 campaign and it constantly killed the defense’s momentum.

However, Johnson did have seven pass breakups and returned an interception for a 50 yard touchdown.

Johnson has two career interceptions — both going for touchdowns.

To conclude Johnson’s assessment, he isn’t a bad corner, but the 49ers should move on due to his inconsistency to produce at a high level which is something the team needs out of their corners if they really want to contend for a Super Bowl in the upcoming season.

K’Waun Williams

Being one of the first free agents signed in the offseason, you could say expectations were decently high for K’Waun Williams who previously played for the Cleveland Browns.