Isaiah Oliver is Cementing Himself as the Starting Nickel Corner

One of the biggest question marks with the defense of the 49ers going into the season was the nickel cornerback position.

One of the biggest question marks with the defense of the 49ers going into the season was the nickel cornerback position.

Jimmie Ward had left in free agency to sign with the Texans, so the 49ers lost a stout player there. No matter who the 49ers replaced him with, there was always going to be at least a bit of a drop off from Ward. He was that excellent for them there last season.

Isaiah Oliver was the answer at nickel, but he hadn't convinced the 49ers that he could be the indefinite starter. He was underwhelming in training camp and the preseason. Because of that, the 49ers decided to only use him for certain matchups and share the position with outside starting corner Deommodore Lenoir.

However, it became immediately clear that sharing the position was a poor move. Anytime Lenoir would kick inside, it would force Ambry Thomas to fill in for Lenoir. Offenses always took note of that and would attack Thomas with great success. So, the 49ers have been going with Oliver as of late and he hasn't disappointed at all. Oliver is starting to cement himself as the starting nickel corner.

“For us, right now, yes," confirmed defensive coordinator Steve Wilks on Oliver as the starter. "I think we have the numbers and particularly the guys that we brought in, [CB] Anthony Brown and those guys that can give us flexibility on the outside as well as he can play inside as well. But I think Oliver has definitely positioned himself inside at the nickel position.”

Oliver hasn't been performing lights out. He still has a few plays in a game where he is getting beat or looks out of sorts, but he has done more than enough to warrant remaining as the starter. For all the plays he gives up, he ends up offsetting them with more positive plays. He's a bit more than a sufficient starter for the 49ers in the slot, so it's fine for now as Wilks said.

The best part of Oliver being the starter right now is that it keeps Thomas on the sidelines. The 49ers are so much better off dealing with the negatives that Oliver brings than Thomas. At least with Oliver, the negative plays aren't as stinging as Thomas. And Oliver actually can make plays as he has shown this season. Thomas constantly gets picked on and beat every time he is out there. This alone makes Oliver being the starter a fantastic move.