Will the 49ers Sign Cornerback Rasul Douglas?

The 49ers have a clear and obvious need for a cornerback.

They lost Charvarius Ward this offseason, and Deommodore Lenoir recently got arrested, so he might face a suspension. Behind him, the 49ers have no one proven.

That's why this week they tried to sign cornerback Damon Arnette, who instead signed a one-year deal with the Houston Texans. Arnette is extremely cheap. The 49ers have more than $46 million in cap space. If they want to spend a little bit more, they could wait until Asante Samuel Jr. passes the medical recheck on his neck at the end of the month and sign him.

Or, they could immediately sign cornerback Rasul Douglas, who is the best remaining free agent, according to ESPN.

"Douglas is a physical corner with the length to disrupt the ball and the willingness to set an edge against the run (five tackles for loss last season)," writes ESPN's Matt Bowen. "He's an easy fit in a zone system that allows him to reroute underneath and attack the ball from the outside third of the field. Douglas returned one of his five interceptions for a touchdown in 2023, and he had five pass breakups last season."

Translation: He's a perfect fit for the 49ers because they play lots of zone coverage and desperately want to improve their run defense. He's an established starter, similar to Richard Sherman when he signed with the 49ers in 2018. Douglas will turn 30 in August. He should have at least one more good season left.

Call him up.