The 49ers are not stopping at Isaac Yiadom at cornerback this offseason; they are adding another veteran outside cover man to the mix. Rock Ya-Sin is signing with the team, ESPN.com’s Field Yates notes. The 49ers have since announced the agreement.
Ya-Sin, who spent last season with the Ravens, is joining the 49ers on a one-year deal. The former second-round pick will be part of the team’s boundary CB mix, joining Yiadom and a few others in the running to see regular time alongside Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir.
Not signing with Baltimore until after last year’s draft, Ya-Sin did not stay on his path of starting jobs. A regular starter for both the Colts and Raiders, Ya-Sin only started one game with the Ravens. That came in Week 18, when the team rested much of its starters due to clinching the AFC’s No. 1 seed previously. He logged a 29% defensive snap share last season, playing behind Marlon Humphrey and late-summer pickup Ronald Darby. Ya-Sin made just 13 tackles and broke up two passes as a Raven. He was on the field for just two defensive plays in the playoffs.
For his career, Ya-Sin has 39 starts on his resume. Nine of those came for the Raiders in 2022, though the former Colts draftee missed six 2022 games and has not played more than 13 in a season since his 2019 rookie year. A knee injury ended Ya-Sin’s Raiders season early. The Colts traded Ya-Sin to the Raiders straight up for Yannick Ngakoue; that relocation came in Ya-Sin’s contract year. The Temple alum, who worked as a Colts starter for parts of three seasons, will try for another bounce-back season.
Pro Football Focus ranked Ya-Sin as a mid-pack corner during his Raiders and Ravens years. In 2021, however, the advanced metrics site slotted Ya-Sin 29th at the position. Primarily playing on the outside, the soon-to-be 28-year-old defender will join a 49ers team that will feature an adjusted CB group from its Super Bowl LVIII plan. Logan Ryan primarily operated as San Francisco’s slot cog during the overtime loss to Kansas City; Ryan retired earlier this week.
The 49ers appear to be looking for an outside regular opposite Ward, which would allow Lenoir to shift to the slot in sub-packages. Lenoir and Ward are going into contract years. The 49ers added Yiadom and Ya-Sin to a group that includes Ambry Thomas, Darrell Luter and Samuel Womack. The defending NFC champs are casting a wide net in hopes of finding CB stability.
Ya-Sin isn’t bad. He’s a decent outside corner with good size who can offer that boundary spot capability. Unfortunately those injuries cut into his starting time, but he can be a decent number two corner on most teams.
I’ve heard some rumblings that the 49ers may be trying Rock Ya-Sin as a safety option. Has anyone else heard the same thing, or do they think it might be a good idea?
I’m not all that familiar with his game…