Dontae Johnson will make 2017 preseason debut vs. Broncos and a strong game is needed from him to settle the San Francisco 49ers starting cornerback spots.
After the conclusion of their second joint-practice with the Denver Broncos, the San Francisco 49ers officially finished training camp. However, cornerback Dontae Johnson could be forgiven for thinking he has not had the opportunity to fully show what he can do to this point.
On the 49ers’ unofficial depth chart, Johnson is tabbed as one of the two starting corners alongside second-year player Rashard Robinson. While nobody should put too much stock in unofficial depth charts, Johnson’s presence among the starters was a promising sign for a player who has been given limited opportunities in his three seasons despite his impressive 6-2, 200-pound frame and a decent rookie season.
In 2014, Johnson played all 16 games, starting three and returned an interception for a touchdown and recorded six pass deflections. But he has made only three starts in the last two campaigns under Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly, with training camp providing Johnson a chance to showcase his abilities to yet another new coaching staff.
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Johnson told NBC Sports Bay Area back on Aug. 4:
"“My main focus this offseason was to make sure I was the best that I could be in any situation given whatever scheme or coaches we had here. Just put my best foot forward just because it is a new slate. Everything else will fall into place.”"
Johnson was beginning to put his best foot forward, producing some impressive plays while running with the starting group including an over-the-back catch for an interception, before he was sidelined with a concussion that led him to miss his first opportunity to lock down the second starting corner spot in the preseason opener with the Kansas City Chiefs.
He only returned to practice on Wednesday, but with Keith Reaser and Ahkello Witherspoon still having made little noise, Johnson can take a big step towards cementing a starting role in Saturday’s game with the Broncos. The problem for Johnson is that he will likely see snaps against two of the NFL’s better receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.
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Thomas is coming off his worst season since 2011, but the fact that his 1,083 yards and five touchdowns — averaging 12 yards a catch — represented a down year is testament to his talent.
His value as a starter remains obvious, with Thomas ranked at No. 27 in Defense-Adjusted Yards Above Replacement by Football Outsiders, who estimate that a replacement-level player put in the same situations as the Broncos’ top wideout would have been worth 172 fewer yards. Sanders’ DYAR was 103, only good enough for 51st out of 94 players to have caught at least 50 passes.
But he still went for 1,032 yards at 13.1 yards per reception in 2016, with his speed providing a significant challenge to secondaries, and particularly that of the Niners, who afforded several big downfield plays to the Chiefs.
Sanders, per DenverBroncos.com, was held out of practice on Thursday after falling on his shoulder on Wednesday. Broncos coach Vance Joseph is not sure whether Sanders will play and, with Cody Latimer’s status also in question because of a hamstring issue, Johnson’s task on Saturday could be made easier. However, if Thomas and Sanders both play then he and Robinson will need to be at their best to restrict one of the more talented starting duos in the league.
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If Johnson does not impress, questions over the 49ers’ best lineup in the secondary will linger. But a positive performance should have San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh feeling confident about the abilities of the leading candidates to start on the outside.