Calling all cornerbacks

Loss of Verrett exposes 49ers’ thin depth at CB

- Craig Massei

It didn’t take long for the 49ers’ cornerback conundrum to become a full-out red alert.

But here comes accomplished veterans Josh Norman and Dre Kirkpatrick. And there goes exciting rookie fifth-round draft pick Deommodore Lenoir.

Maybe that blend of experience and youth will give San Francisco what it has been lacking and looking for all along on what was shaping up this summer as the weakest position on a stocked roster bent on getting back into Super Bowl contention.

The 49ers better hope so. Because they just got a whole lot weaker when No. 1 cornerback and defensive leader Jason Verrett was lost for the season in Week 1 with a torn ACL, the latest in a long line of injuries that have sabotaged his promising career.

“Guys have stepped in and done really well,” 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said. “But you don’t compensate for the loss of a guy like Verrett. He’s a true pro, a great man, been an awesome leader for us. So it’s devastating to lose a guy like that, man. He’s one of the hearts and souls of our backend. It’s devastating news. You don’t replace a guy like Verrett.”

How well San Francisco can manage to do just that will likely play a significant factor in how well the team responds at a position that already was thin on veteran experience, sending the 49ers scrambling to add the best veterans still available on the open market in September and forcing them to reconfigure their plans at the position.