The San Francisco 49ers brought in cornerback Eric Wright this past offseason, and after sticking him on the NFI list to start the season, they eventually activated him in place of Perrish Cox. When the playoffs arrived, and Carlos Rogers was sidelined with his hamstring injury, the team brought back Cox, and ended up using him in place of Wright in the secondary.
It seemed like the 49ers had a plan in mind when they brought in Wright, but it appears to have been sidetracked. On Thursday, Wright posted a new blog entry at his website, and he addressed the situation. He mentioned getting injured before the Packers game, which was something we knew about. Wright practiced the Wednesday before the Wild Card game, but he then was listed as limited on Thursday and Friday with a hamstring injury. He got some special teams snaps, but no defensive snaps.
The next week, Wright was not listed on the injury report. However, according to Wright's blog entry, he caught the flu early in the week, and it impacted his opportunities against the Panthers. Cox again handled the defensive work, and Wright got a few special teams snaps.
In discussing Perrish Cox's play, Wright was nothing but complimentary, and seemed genuinely happy for him. Given that Wright is now a free agent, he could have passed over Cox's play, but something about it struck me. Wright grew up in San Francisco as a 49ers fan, so I have a hunch that passion for the franchise might have made it easier to swallow the lack of playing time in the playoffs. Give the blog entry a read. He wrote a few such entries discussing his time in San Francisco, and it's interesting coming from the perspective a player who also happens to be a passionate fan of the team.
The 49ers have cornerback needs to meet, and it could only grow if they decide to part ways with Carlos Rogers. Given the injury and illness that cost him preparation time in the playoffs, maybe this opens the door for Wright to return in 2014. The 49ers would seem to be able to get him relatively cheaply, potentially looking at a one-year veteran minimum prove it kind of deal. The 49ers will draft at least one cornerback in May, if not more, but that doesn't mean they won't bring in extra competition at the position. If they can get Wright with a fairly low key deal, I don't see any reason not to give him another look.