The 49ers' Most Important Training Camp Battle

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Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch at San Francisco 49ers Training Camp

The San Francisco 49ers defense will once again have their superstar combo of Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, but they will also have a lot of new faces on the field. The secondary will be one of the areas with the most changes. At the safety position, last year’s primary starters, Malik Mustapha and Ji’Ayir Brown, will begin training camp recovering from injuries. Still, they are expected to return early and start for the Niners again this year.

In terms of the cornerback room, the team will be counting on multiple inexperienced players to step up big-time. Deommodore Lenoir is a lock to start, and the 49ers have faith that second-year cornerback Renardo Green will keep improving. However, questions linger about the depth beyond those two. While other players could emerge this offseason, the battle for the third starting cornerback spot appears to be between Tre Brown and rookie Upton Stout.

Nicholas McGee of Niners Nation recently ranked this matchup as the most important training camp battle for the team.

“The decision the 49ers face may end up being a choice between playing using rookie third-rounder Upton Stout as a full-time nickel and having Lenoir play outside full-time, or going with Tre Brown as the outside starter on base downs when Lenoir kicks inside. Potentially picking between a rookie and a veteran with only 13 starts in four seasons is a choice the 49ers might not relish making. However, they will understand the importance of getting it right, having had issues with both Isaiah Oliver and Ambry Thomas playing the third corner role in 2023 and gotten unconvincing play from Isaac Yiadom in the same capacity last season.”

Tre Brown

With more experience, it would make sense that Tre Brown will have the upper edge on Stout. The Niners signed Brown to a one-year contract this past offseason. He spent the previous four years with the rival Seattle Seahawks but started only 13 total games in his tenure. This past season, he posted a 53.5 PFF grade that ranked him 170/222. He did post an above-average run defense grade of 71.7, and the Niners value stopping the run quite a bit. Throughout his professional career, Brown has been a backup-caliber player. This is ultimately a prove-it year for him to show that he can be a starting-level NFL cornerback.

Upton Stout

Stout was drafted in the third round out of Western Kentucky this Spring. He’s already flashed some talent in minicamp and has a prime opportunity to immediately get on the field. In the draft process, he was praised for his competitiveness, as well as his stickiness and change-of-direction ability in coverage. With the elite route runners in the NFL, every NFL team needs a high-end nickel. Stout will need to continue to prove himself, but he has the traits to succeed at the next level.

Prediction

If Brown ends up starting for the Niners, he will likely line up as an outside corner, while Lenoir will be kicked inside to the nickel position. On the flip side, if Stout is starting, then he will step in as the nickel corner, and DMO will remain an outside corner. This situation makes it interesting because while it is obvious that performance will determine who gets on the field, the factor of where the Niners want Lenoir to play will also be a deciding factor.

Ideally, Stout continues to impress in camp and is the week one starter. This would be optimal, as we have already seen a lot of NFL snaps from Brown. Hopefully, Stout can be a more impactful player. In addition, this allows the 49ers’ best cornerback, Deommodre Lenoir, to step up against other teams’ top outside receiving threats.

No matter how this battle ends up, it seems like the Niners have confidence in both players. Ideally, that confidence is warranted, and the cornerback room will be a bit deeper than in past seasons.

Matthew Kaimer is a sports writer covering the MLB for heavy.com. He has worked for Heavy since 2023 and has over 5 years experience covering the MLB and San Diego Padres through his social media outlet “Friar Talk.” More about Matthew Kaimer