The San Francisco 49ers have not had a lot of positives come out of the past week, but rookie cornerback Rashard Robinson has been a bright spot. He got his second straight start on Thursday, and put together a second consecutive strong game. Robinson allowed 11 yards in coverage, and in 94 coverage snaps this season he has allowed 31 yards. Pro Football Focus ranks his 0.33 yards per coverage snap as tops for any player with at least 70 snaps in coverage.
On the other side of the field, Tramaine Brock had a rough day. He actually did make some very nice pass break-ups, but he was also burned twice by Larry Fitzgerald for touchdowns. It’s not exactly an embarrassment to be burned by a receiver like Fitzgerald, but it’s the second straight game Brock has been burned for a pair of touchdowns.
The 49ers have ten days before their Week 6 matchup with the Buffalo Bills. Jimmie Ward is still recovering from a quad strain, having sat out the team’s last two weeks’ worth of practice. When Ward returns from his quad injury, will the 49ers go with Ward and Robinson on the outside? The other option would be moving Ward back inside to replace Chris Davis. Davis injured his knee last night, and was carted to the locker room. Chip Kelly said Davis is undergoing an MRI on Friday, after which we will get a handle on the injury. Keith Reaser could also end up in that role, but we’ll have to wait and see.
How does this play out once Ward is back on the field?