What does the 49ers’ secondary need to do to join the NFL’s best?

The 49ers’ secondary is led by two exciting cornerbacks in Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green, but there are problems elsewhere.

What does the 49ers’ secondary need to do to join the NFL’s best?

The 49ers undoubtedly have a lot of talent on the back end of their defense, but there are doubts about their secondary as a collective, with those concerns illustrated by its position in Pro Football Focus’ rankings.

Despite boasting one of the better and most versatile cornerbacks in the league in Deommodore Lenoir and a promising second-year corner in Renardo Green, the 49ers’ secondary was ranked 23rd in the league by PFF.

Such a ranking points to the secondary being a consistent problem for the Niners as they look to produce a bounce-back season in 2025?

So what needs to happen to ensure that is not the case and that the 49er secondary makes strides towards joining the ranks of the best in the league?

Improve the on-ball production

The 49ers turnover numbers dropped from 28 in the 2023 season to 17 last year, with that dip the result of San Francisco recording 11 fewer interceptions than the 22 they racked up en route to the one seed in the NFC.

In 2023, 17 of the 49ers’ interceptions were made by players in the defensive backfield. Yet in 2024, just six picks were made by players in the secondary, with Lenoir the only member of the group to manage two interceptions.

Lenoir brings extremely valuable flexibility with his prowess in playing inside and out, while Green proved himself to be an extremely sticky coverage defender in his rookie year. However, they need to do a much better job of creating sudden-change plays in the coming season, though that task will be a lot easier if the 49ers’ changes to the defensive line yield dividends.

The best secondaries in the NFL don’t just restrict passing games, they punish offenses consistently for daring to air it out. The 49ers must get back to doing the latter, and their hopes of doing so will be significantly increased if they can find some continuity at a key position.

Settle on a safety pairing

If Malik Mustapha was healthy, he and Ji’Ayir Brown would likely be the starting safeties Week 1 for the 49ers.

But with Mustapha set to miss the start of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL, the safety position is in flux again for San Francisco after a 2024 campaign in which four different players started games in that spot.

The 49ers are set to begin the 2025 season with an unconvincing pairing of Brown and free agent signing Jason Pinnock. After a 2024 campaign in which he struggled to build on his rookie year, it would be no surprise to see Brown surrender his starting role to veteran Richie Grant if he struggles in camp. Brown was held out of OTAs and minicamp after undergoing ankle surgery.

Talanoa Hufanga’s departure in free agency was no surprise given his recent injury troubles, but it has left San Francisco shorn of proven playmakers at safety just a couple of years on from a point in the 49ers’ history when his partnership with Tashaun Gipson was a clear and significant strength for the team.

Regardless of when Mustapha returns to the field, the 49ers evidently need to discover a partnership that can flourish to the same degree with difference-making plays.

The hope will be that Brown takes a belated step forward and Pinnock’s prior relationship with Robert Saleh allows him to thrive in Mustapha’s absence. If such developments look likely in camp, then the 49ers will likely approach the season with confidence that they have the right group. If not, then they may need to turn to alternatives either already on the roster or from a free agent market still featuring several big-name veterans.

End the third corner problem

The 49ers enter the 2025 season in a familiar position at cornerback. Their top two starters look extremely strong, but there are once again doubts regarding the third option.

That was the case in 2023 when Isaiah Oliver floundered in the slot, leading to Lenoir’s move inside, which was facilitated by Ambry Thomas playing outside on nickel downs. That solution, however, was removed as Thomas melted down in the playoffs, leading to him being benched for the Super Bowl.

In 2024, Isaac Yiadom was consistently picked on during his time on the field as the third corner. Yiadom lost that job to Green, but a season in which Charvarius Ward missed five games meant he still saw the field regularly thereafter.

With Ward now on the Colts and Yiadom having returned to the Saints, the 49ers’ cornerback depth chart looks a lot different beyond Lenoir and Green, and there is reason for concern about the options at CB3.

Right now, it would appear to be a choice between starting third-round rookie Upton Stout in the slot or using Tre Brown in the same capacity in which Thomas and Yiadom operated.

Brown is coming off a 2024 season that saw him start just three games and give up the highest passer rating of his career (124.0) and, while Stout caught the eye in OTAs and minicamp, there is obvious risk to starting a rookie third-rounder at one of the game’s most important positions.

Still, the 49ers don’t necessarily need their third corner to be a game-changer for their secondary to improve, they simply need him not to be a liability. Irrespective of the solution they choose, the 49ers should see an uptick in secondary play if their third corner can clear that low bar.