Detroit Lions: 5 players who may follow Robert Saleh in free agency
By Bob Heyrman
Jason Verrett
The former TCU Horned Frogs’ corner Jason Verrett enjoys a rejuvenated career with the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 after being an afterthought or forgotten corner.
The Los Angeles Chargers organization initially drafted Verrett, formally the San Diego Chargers, with the 25th overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. The highly touted corner immediately produced a pair of stellar seasons to start his career, recording an 85.1 rookie season rating according to Pro Football Focus, followed by an 88.4 grade in his second season.
Verrett’s athleticism and overall talent have never been in question, but he has had a career filled with various serious injuries.
After enjoying two stellar years, in Verrett’s third season, he suffered a torn left knee that ended his third NFL season in early September. The following year Verrett had been limited to just one game after re-tearing that same left knee like the season prior.
Just when you think it couldn’t get worse, Verrett suffered a grade-three achilles tear during a training session in July of 2018.
The 49ers decided to take a flier on Verrett, knowing the injury history signing him to a one-year deal worth $3.6 million in 2019. This time Verrett played just four defensive snaps before tweaking that heavily damaged left knee, ending his season.
The 49ers once again took a chance on Verrett before the start of 2020, signing the now veteran corner to a one year deal worth less than a million dollars. Verrett has been Robert Saleh’s top corner in 2020, often shadowing the opponent’s top pass-catcher. Verrett recently did a tremendous job trailing DeAndre Hopkins in San Fran’s shocking 20-12 upset over the Cardinals.
According to PFF, Verrett has produced a solid 77.4 overall rating that includes a stout 76 mark in coverage over a career-high 739 defensive snaps.
Verrett, a pending free agent, maybe a corner the Detroit Lions could use opposite Jeff Okudah or Amani Oruwariye in 2020-21 rather than the corps of Desmond Trufant, who is proving to be another one of Bob Quinn’s ‘bust signings.’