Shanahan, 49ers taking cautious approach with CB Verrett

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SANTA CLARA — Kyle Shanahan wants to have 49ers cornerback Jason Verrett back on the field as soon as he is ready. 

The shutdown corner has been seen on the practice field looking fit and agile, but the head coach is not going to rush Verrett back before he is ready. 

The 49ers' secondary is the most improved position group on the team and their depth offers the luxury of not pressuring the veteran back into the lineup. 

“We’d love to get him into camp,” Shanahan said on Saturday. “We’d love to get him ready for Week 1. I think that’s his mindset. I’ll never go against him on that but I’m definitely ready if he’s not ready for Week 1. We’ll get him whenever he is ready. If he comes back Week 4, Week 8, end of the year.” 

Shanahan's common sense approach as well as his past experiences with Verrett are the driving factors behind the cautious timeline. The club signed the cornerback to a one-year deal in 2019 knowing his skill set prior to a run of bad luck with his health. 

“I thought the first year we had him here was similar,” Shanahan said. “I thought we brought him back a hair too early because he was healthy but he didn’t have his legs back quite yet. He got thrown into to that game against Pittsburgh in Week 3 and got beat on a go route and that’s when we saw he wasn’t quite there yet and it’s hard to start back. 

“So we definitely don’t want to do anything too soon.”

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Multiple major injuries have kept Verrett from playing consistently since he was the No. 25 overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft for the then San Diego Chargers. Because of his leadership skills as well as his talent, the club brought Verrett back for a fourth season.

The veteran has appeared in 15 games with the 49ers over the past three seasons and at the start of the 2021 season, resembled the top-flight corner Shanahan knew he could be. 

An ACL injury in Week 1 ended Verrett's 2021 comeback campaign. Now, set to make another return in 2022, Verrett could be a wild card for the 49ers' defense in pursuit of another postseason run. 

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