Three of cornerback Jason Verrett’s four previous seasons with the 49ers ended with him going on injured reserve.
Now, he’s officially back with the club as a member of the practice squad, the 49ers announced.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers' expectation for Verrett with the team is open-ended. First, Shanahan said, Verrett will have to prove himself on the practice field while working against the team's starting offense.
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“When you’re on the practice squad, you’re only a couple of plays away from possibly being a starter or just being out there on game days,” Shanahan said.
“He can try to show us he’s ready for the moment and, hopefully, give us some depth there once we get a chance to see him.”
Verrett, 32, spent a month on the practice squad of the Houston Texans this season. After he was released, Verrett took part in a workout with the 49ers on Nov. 16 in Santa Clara.
The 49ers offered him a spot on the practice squad. After mulling over his future, Verrett agreed late last week to rejoin the 49ers, a source told NBC Sports Bay Area.
San Francisco 49ers
Verrett’s return to the 49ers was not related to cornerback Charvarius Ward’s groin injury, which sidelined him after only four plays Sunday in the team’s 28-16 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Verrett attended the game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara and greeted some of his teammates in the locker room afterward.
He could provide the 49ers with a valuable insurance policy behind the team’s top three cornerbacks: Ward, Deommodore Lenoir and Ambry Thomas.
Verrett showed what he could do for the 49ers in 2020, when he started 13 games and played at a consistently high level. He registered two interceptions.
The 49ers re-signed Verrett on a one-year contract, and he opened the 2021 season as a starter. However, he sustained a season-ending torn ACL in the opener at the Detroit Lions.
He signed another one-year contract last year. Verrett was in the process of working his way back onto the field when his 2022 season ended with a torn Achilles in practice.
Since entering the NFL in 2014 as a first-round pick of the Chargers, Verrett has appeared in just 40 games with 36 starts. In his second year in the league, he played in 14 games and was selected to the Pro Bowl.