SANTA CLARA – If training camp is about creating opportunities and competition, perhaps no 49ers unit is more emblematic of that than their defensive backs.
A familiar cast returns. Their jobs, however, may not be so secure.
The 49ers’ secondary struggled to make plays last season, and while an anemic pass rush didn’t help, that can’t excuse a lack of production.
A youthful unit can experience growing pains for only so long before others are given a shot, and that is where camp enters the equation, starting with Sunday’s first practice.
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (2) returns an interception thrown by Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) during the second half of an NFL football game in Glendale, Ariz., Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) A.P. Photo
THE INCUMBENTS
Versatile cornerback Deommodore Lenoir is entering his fifth season as a starter, and he found his voice as a captain last year. He certainly can take charge of the secondary, and the best way might be with consistently high-level play.
Although Renardo Green became a starter midway through his 2024 rookie season, he was pulled briefly in last season’s playoff finale and frustrated coaches last year, fueling speculation he might get traded. So he enters camp on the hot seat, with just one career interception.
Upton Stout was arguably the 49ers’ top defender last season as a feisty rookie in the slot.
At safety, the 49ers bring back three starting-caliber players in Malik Mustapha, Marques Sigle and Ji’Ayir Brown. Brown has the most experience and has been a vocal leader but is entering the last year of his rookie deal. Mustapha is certainly one to watch entering his third year, after missing camp last season amid ACL recovery.
San Francisco 49ers’ Ephesians Prysock speaks to the media at Levi’s Stadium Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
THE CHALLENGERS
Newcomers who have a shot at rearranging the depth chart are former Raiders teammates Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs, plus fourth-round rookie Ephesians Prysock.
Jones is on his fourth team in five years, but he comes with a lot of experience (39 starts in 58 games), eight career interceptions, and 33 pass breakups, including 16 for the 2024 Raiders before he started every game last season with the Dolphins.
Hobbs is seen more as a slot cornerback, but his versatility piqued the 49ers’ interest years ago when they tried to trade for him. He played four years with the Raiders (three interceptions, three forced fumbles, three sacks) before playing 48% of the Packers’ defensive snaps last season.
Prysock is a can’t-miss defensive back at least in terms of his 6-foot-3 frame (and 4.45-second speed in the 40).
Overlooked but lurking in the cornerback rotation are Darrell Luter Jr., Eli Apple and Jakob Robinson.
NEW COACHING
Raheem Morris, the 49ers’ fifth defensive coordinator in as many years, brought with him from Atlanta a longtime defensive backs coach in Jerry Gray.
Gray will serve as the pass-game coordinator for a unit that produced just six interceptions last season (two each from Lenoir and Brown, one apiece by Mustapha and linebacker Dee Winters).
“You have to be in position to make a play. That’s our job as coaches to get you in that position, and now you need the ability to go make a play,” Gray said. “That’s what I try to talk to young guys about: When you’re in that position, don’t have fear to go make a play because a negative thought is going to override a positive thought. … You have to have a positive thought, ‘If I’m in a position, I’m going to go make that play.’”