How the 49ers have evolved into one of the best secondaries in the NFL

This group has to stay healthy to reach its ceiling, but they’ve come a long way since the 2021 NFC Championship

A couple of seasons ago, when the San Francisco 49ers faced off against the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 NFC Championship, it was tough sledding for the Niners secondary. Matthew Stafford completed 31 of his 45 passes for 337 yards.

Safety Jaquiski Tartt gets the brunt of the blame for a dropped interception, but nickel corner K’Waun Williams gave up nine receptions on 11 targets for 85 yards, four first downs, and a touchdown. Ambry Thomas was forced into action as a rookie. He competed, which was all you could ask, and did a fine job of limiting the big play. But he allowed seven of nine receptions to be completed.

At the time, Emmanuel Moseley was the team’s top cornerback. In that game, Moseley gave up receptions on all but one of his seven targets for four first downs and 96 yards. Both safeties also gave up explosive plays in the passing game.

The secondary has evolved since then. At safety, Jimmie Ward and Tartt were generally in the right place at the right time, but each player’s lack of ball skills lowered the ceiling for the secondary.

Ji’Ayir Brown proved quickly that he has a knack for the football, while Talanoa Hufanga’s All-Pro season is littered with him making plays around the ball. There are plays where both can be caught out of position, but the risk is worth the reward when you can generate turnovers or cause havoc.

Charvarius Ward has been one of the best values in the NFL going on two seasons. In 2023, Mooney’s play earned him second-team All-Pro honors. Ward left Week 14 with an injury but returned the next week and did not miss any significant time at any other point during the season.

The 49ers have found success baiting teams into throwing Ward’s way. He was the most targeted cornerback in the NFL last season, yet had the 6th lowest passer rating allowed among cornerbacks with at least 70 targets. There is immense value in a cornerback who limits the big play without needing safety help but can also come up and make a tackle.

It’s why Ward is in line for another extension and a big reason why PFF listed the 49ers as the second-best secondary in the NFL:

2. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

The 49ers secondary doesn’t boast household names, but the team consistently puts together a unit that makes life difficult for opposing quarterbacks and receivers. The group is led by Charvarius Ward, who put up an 86.5 coverage grade in 2023. The Niners also added Isaac Yiadom (80.4) to man the slot and selected a couple of players in the draft to generate good depth in the room.

Yiadom is the wild card. If he can give the 49ers 80 percent of what he was on the Saints last season, this has a chance to be the best secondary under Kyle Shanahan. Like Ward, Yiadom was often left on an island in man coverage in New Orleans last season.

He was also effective at limiting the big play. Yiadom ranked 29th in EPA per target, right under star cornerback Denzel Ward from the Cleveland Browns. Yiadom finished fourth in completion percentage allowed on a team with a worse pass rush than the Niners.

Cornerback is the most fickle position in the NFL. Yearly results vary, but Yiadom projects as an ideal fit with the size and speed defensive back coaches covet. His biggest issue is staying healthy.

The queen on the secondary chess board is Deommodore Lenoir, who had success defending wide receivers at nickel or outside of the numbers. He’s the type of player you want closer to the ball, so he can be disruptive, making Yiadom’s health imperative for this unit to reach its peak.

Rookies Renardo Green and Malik Mustapha are insurance policies if the injury bug bites the secondary. Both have plenty of experience and versatility to fill various roles.

A healthy Hunfanga gives the 49ers a dynamic, playmaking duo it hasn’t had in ages. If Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson embody the era when safeties could lay out receivers with no repercussions, Hufanga and Brown encapsulate the importance of film study and why being a step ahead of your opponent can make up for physical traits.

Those two have a chance to be special, as does the entire secondary, but it always comes back to health and whether this team will hold up for 20 games. We have no reason to believe they won’t return to a top-three defense if they can.