The 49ers’ secondary issues have advanced from a depth chart problem to a full-blown drama series. First, Charvarius Ward packed his bags for Indianapolis. The cornerback room became even thinner after Deommodore Lenoir, who was already being overworked beyond CB2 duties, made headlines for all the wrong reasons. On Thursday night, Lenoir was arrested after a situation escalated with police officers. And what follows now is just the beginning of troubles for him, both on and off the field. And it looks like Kyle Shanahan doesn’t have the patience anymore.
It’s a harsh reality for Lenoir. As he was regarded as one of the 49ers’ most dependable holdovers in the secondary only a few months ago. But legal distractions, along with Shanahan’s infamous short leash when it comes to discipline and consistency, seem to have sealed his fate. An official team suspension or league decision has not yet been announced, but San Francisco is not sitting around waiting.
As per 49ers insider Grant Cohn, Kyle Shanahan is done with Lenoir, and the team has responded like contenders do. They are going for an aggressive move that speaks louder than any press conference quote. The 49ers are reportedly trading for Buccaneers veteran cornerback Jamel Dean. Cohn posted about it on X: “Jamel Dean would make the 49ers better. Granted, he doesn’t play soccer. Still, he’d be a worthwhile investment.” Although the front office has not yet verified it, insiders claim that once Lenoir’s legal ambiguity was no longer just a ‘wait and see’ problem, negotiations quickened. In other words, Dean’s most probably coming in.
Jamel Dean would make the 49ers better. Granted, he doesn’t play soccer. Still, he’d be a worthwhile investment. https://t.co/0Sb9MRQi1c
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) June 29, 2025
And Shanahan didn’t exactly have a lot of options at his disposal. Although Renardo Green made seven starts last season and had some flashes, it could be asking too much of him to shadow WR1s in January. Tre Brown? Just 13 starts in four years. Upton Stout is still getting used to the layout of the locker room. If you look closely, this bunch of cornerbacks appears to be more of a work in progress than a team prepared for the playoffs. Dean changes that.
The 28-year-old brings size (6’1″), experience. And a resume that includes a Super Bowl championship and a $52 million, four-year contract with Tampa Bay. More significantly, the 49ers have more than $46 million in cap room to work with, and his $12.5 million 2025 base salary is not guaranteed. This agreement meets all the requirements both financially and conceptually.
But still, there are concerns. Dean just finished the previous season with a career-worst completion rate of 69.7%, and he saw a similar decline the year before. However, let’s face it, Tampa Bay’s front-seven hasn’t exactly made things easy for its corners lately. If Dean lands in a San Francisco defense that’s still anchored by Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, meaning the coverage clock just got shorter. But if Kyle Shanahan’s defense is still a question mark, at least the offense is ranking high.
Kyle Shanahan’s offense looks loaded
Pro Football Network, which ranked San Francisco’s offense ninth going into the 2025 season. It shows that there is still potential. And sure, when Brock Purdy is healthy and Kyle Shanahan is calling plays, the floor is usually pretty high. But banking on a top-10 finish requires a few assumptions. Mainly, that Christian McCaffrey doesn’t miss time, and Brandon Aiyuk returns to full form after his knee injury. According to PFN’s Kyle Soppe, “The San Francisco 49ers were the league’s best offense in this metric back in 2023, but injuries derailed some of what they wanted to do in 2024.”
For a roster that subtly shrank this offseason, that’s a significant ask. Deebo Samuel is gone. Aaron Banks and Jaylon Moore, two vital depth players, are gone too. Jordan Mason was traded away, leaving McCaffrey and prayers in the backfield. Even Soppe admits this offense will now demand more from Purdy than ever before.
Unless McCaffrey goes full 2023 superhero mode again, this unit could look eerily similar to last year’s red-zone-challenged version. Kyle Shanahan’s offense may be top-10 by projection, but it might take more than Xs and Os to live up to that billing when injuries start rolling in.
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