Dennard’s skill, smarts give edge for nickel role
The San Francisco 49ers were forced to play their thirdstring nickel cornerback in the latter stages of last season’s win-or-go-home regular-season finale against the Rams.
And it appeared option No. 3 would have no chance. Consider: The deep-on-depth chart defensive back had been signed to their practice squad five days earlier, had been released by three teams in the previous four months, hadn’t played a defensive snap since Dec. 13, 2020, and would have to frequently face All-Pro wideout Cooper Kupp.
Last week, secondary coach Cory Undlin recalled how just-signed Darqueze Dennard improbably met the moment with his new team’s season on the line. Dennard allowed one catch, for 12 yards, on three targets in 21 crunch-time snaps after an injury forced him onto the field.
“That,” Undlin said, “was incredible.”
Dennard’s late-game performance in that 27-24 overtime win is a reason he might be the early favorite to become the 49ers’ new nickel cornerback, a position manned by K’Waun Williams since 2017. With Williams now with the Broncos, Dennard, 30, has been lining up with the firststring defense during offseason practices and Undlin said he “absolutely” has a chance to win the job.
Dennard’s recent career bio suggested he was ill-prepared for last season’s Week 18 assignment. But Dennard said after Wednesday’s practice that his injury-plagued and nomadic 2021 season — he’d been released by the Cardinals, Colts and Giants — hadn’t crushed his confidence. The 2014 first-round pick of the Bengals who has played in 87 games (30 starts) was eager for the opportunity to show he still could cover.
“I was overly ready,” Dennard said. “The reality is I’m a first-round pick. I’ve played a lot of ball. I have been a top nickel in the league for a very long time. It was just like normal. I was just excited to play again. It was really my first game since 2020. I was just excited go out there and compete and be able show guys and this organization that I can still play. I’ve got a lot left in the tank.”
Undlin wasn’t sure what Dennard could offer when the 49ers signed him last season just more than 100 hours before kickoff. But he was intrigued. Undlin, then with the Broncos, had studied Dennard extensively before the 2014 draft in which Dennard was the No. 24 pick after winning the Jim Thorpe Award as college football’s best defensive back.
Nearly eight years later after doing his homework, Undlin was impressed by Dennard’s ability to effectively cram.
“He basically moved into the back of my office,” Undlin said. “I mean, he didn’t leave the building for five days. And I would say by the time we went through Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (practices), he did not look out of place. He’s smart. He’s played a lot of ball.”
Said Dennard: “It was early mornings. Late nights. … Long nights.”
Dennard’s long injury history explains his downward trajectory before he landed with the 49ers. His missed 18 games from 2018 through ’20 because of a dislocated shoulder, knee surgery, a strained hamstring and a quadriceps injury.
However, he’d been effective when he was on the field. In 2019, in nine games with the Bengals, he allowed just 17 completions on 35 targets and quarterbacks had a 74.5 passer rating when targeting him. In 2020, in eight games with the Falcons, he allowed 37 completions on 59 targets and an 86.1 rating.
“I have played at very high level in this league,” Dennard said. “You can go back and watch the film. Either in Cincinnati or Atlanta, when I actually played, I was top of the line each week. So I know I’ve still got it.”
Dennard will have the nickel job if he beats out two recent fifth-round picks, rookie Samuel Womack and Deommodor Lenoir (a 2021 fifth-round draft pick). On Wednesday, Dennard pulled Lenoir aside to offer instruction during an individual drill near the start of practice.
Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans suggested Dennard has the qualities to be a future coach. But just ask Dennard. Or watch his Week 18 performance. He’s not done playing just yet.
“The biggest thing I like about Darqueze is he does a really great job of teaching the younger guys,” Ryans said. “Darqueze has seen a lot of football. He’s played in a lot of different schemes. And with him having that experience and that knowledge, he does a really good job of just putting his arm around the younger guys and teaching them.”