Releasing Darqueze Dennard was quite a surprise from the 49ers.
He looked like the lead starter at nickel corner for the defense since the offseason programs began. Dennard did step up in a major way in the regular season finale for the 49ers last year, so it looked like he had momentum. That was until Samuel Womack III had an impressive outing in the first preseason game against the Packers. It is likely why the 49ers went in the direction that they did.
Kyle Shanahan today following the joint-practice with the Vikings explained why the 49ers released Dennard.
“We didn't think he was going to earn that spot," Shanahan said. "Whether he is out there with the ones or not, no one really is slotted that way, except for the depth charts we have to give you guys before preseason. So we wanted to give him opportunities, being the vet and with younger guys coming in, but we got to see enough where we felt the younger guys were going to have a chance, so we want to give them some reps. And Dennard's been awesome for us when he helped last year stepping in, in that game. He was a good player for us this offseason. And we'll see how these guys do and if doesn't work out, hopefully someday can come back.”
The 49ers releasing Dennard is a favor to him to have a chance to land on a team. But ultimately, it is about the "young guys," or Womack in this case. Dennard is not that great of a player to keep someone such as Womack on the sideline and hinder his growth. A full commitment by the 49ers is needed if they want anything to be high-level from him like what he put on display against the Packers.
“I think everyone saw him during the game and he did a real good job," Shanahan said. "He's done a decent job in practice too. We have some safeties who we can mix there also. So there's still some competition, but yeah, we've been happy with how he's been so far.”
It would be shocking to see Womack not named the starting nickel corner, but you can understand why the 49ers are not giving it to him now. Continuing to have him work for it is necessary to sustain his consistency. Like DeMeco Ryans has said, Womack just needs to continue to get better and build off his impressive stretch.
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