Cornerback Oliver let go as 49ers make a roster move
Cornerback Isaiah Oliver was released Thursday in the 49ers' first significant, yet expected, departure following their Super Bowl loss, aside from defensive coordinator Steve Wilks' firing last week.
Signed in free agency last spring (two years, $6.8 million), Oliver struggled in the nickel-back role for which he was cast, so much so that he did not play a defensive snap in any of the 49ers' three playoff games. He was slated to make $3.1 million in salary in 2024.
The 49ers scrambled to find the right combination when deploying three cornerbacks. With Oliver effectively benched at midseason in the wake of a three-game losing streak, the 49ers caught their stride with Deommodore Lenoir shifting from right cornerback to the inside slot in their nickel package. In that look, Ambry Thomas would enter at right cornerback opposite Charvarius Ward, who enjoyed a Pro Bowl season but required core muscle surgery this week. Jason Verrett was poised to debut at nickel back in his comeback attempt but a shoulder injury scuttled that plan in Week 18.
By the time the 49ers got into the playoffs and Super Bowl LVIII, veteran Logan Ryan lined up at nickel back, and his late coverage allowed Mecole Hardman to catch Patrick Mahomes' winning touchdown pass in the 49ers' 25-22 overtime loss.
Ryan is among the 49ers slated to hit free agency March 13.
With Ward and Lenoir entrenched as starting cornerbacks, the 49ers enter another offseason seeking a solution at nickel back, where K'Waun Williams and then Jimmie Ward performed well in that role in past years; Williams, 32, will become a free agent if the Denver Broncos do not re-sign him.
Oliver's job security seemed tenuous throughout training camp. His lone interception with the 49ers helped propel their
Week 2 win against the host Los Angeles Rams, with him picking off Matthew Stafford in the third quarter to set up a goahead field goal in that 30-23 win. Oliver was limited to 35 special-teams snaps in the playoffs, after playing every defensive snap in the regularseason finale as Ward and Lenoir rested.
Cornerbacks still on the roster: Ward, Lenoir, Thomas, Darrell Luter Jr., Sam Womack III, and Kemon Hall.
– Cam Inman CAP SKYROCKETS >> The NFL's salary cap for 2024 will be $255.4 million, up a record $30.6 million from 2023.
The cap number has gone from $198.2 million in 2020 to $182.5 million in 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic. It increased to $208.2 million in 2022 and $224.8 million last year.
Teams are heading into next week's NFL combine and preparing for the free agency period to open March 13 with an opportunity to spend more freely.
The increased cap total could impact how teams use the franchise tag. The 15-day window to apply the tag to impending free agents began on Feb. 20.
• As Antonio Pierce prepares for his first season as the Las Vegas Raiders' full-time coach, he is counting on two experienced former head coaches to help guide him.
Ex-Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is the assistant head coach and former Miami Dolphins coach Joe Philbin is the senior offensive assistant.
Lewis led the Bengals to seven playoff berths, going 131-122-3 from 2003-18. He was a key advisor when Pierce became the interim coach midway through last season.
Philbin went 24-28 as the Dolphins coach from 2012-15 and was 2-2 as the Green Bay Packers interim coach in 2018. He was an offensive analyst at Ohio State last season. Philbin also was the Packers offensive coordinator from 2007-11.