Perrish Cox 1-year deal worth league minimum

Last week, word got out that the San Francisco 49ers had signed cornerback Perrish Cox to a 1-year contract. His agent confirmed the deal on March 25, and the 49ers announced it on March 28. This is not a huge move, but I wanted to wrap it up by getting you the numbers on his contract.

Per the NFLPA's salary database, Cox signed a deal for the veteran minimum. For a third year player, that is $645,000. Over The Cap has the number listed as well, and they show no bonuses. As a third year player, Cox is not eligible for the minimum salary benefit. That means that if he makes the roster his cap number will be $645,000.

None of this is surprising, as Cox has spent most of his 49ers career on special teams, with some dime and nickel work mixed in. The team released him midway through the season when they brought Eric Wright off the NFI list. Wright had some opportunities, but also remained deep down the depth chart behind Tramaine Brock, Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers. When Rogers got hurt before the postseason, Wright got some opportunities, but an illness (and/or less than stellar practices) resulted in Cox getting the nod in the playoffs.

Cox looked solid in limited action, and will get his share of opportunities for cornerback work in 2014. Of course, his special teams contributions likely had a lot to do with his return as well. The 49ers have a lot of question marks at cornerback heading into the coming season. That provides opportunities for Cox, but it also means the 49ers will be bringing in even more competition. They have 11 draft picks, and are likely to add at least one cornerback, if not more. If they grab a first or second round cornerback, that could further impact Cox's playing time.

One player that will factor into this discussion, but we have not discussed a lot is Darryl Morris. The 2013 undrafted free agent started the season on the practice squad, but was contributing on special teams before too long. Morris will get his share of opportunities over the summer and into the preseason. He's not a big guy, but given the current need for someone to handle slot work, he could very well work his way into that role. At the very least, I could see him working his way into the dime back role.