The San Diego Chargers signed cornerback Casey Hayward to a three-year, $15.3 million contract this weekend, adding a solid option to their secondary. It's a nice little chunk of change for Hayward, and it sounds like there was a modest bidding war to drive up the price. Green Bay Packers beat writer Bob McGinn is reporting the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs both got in the mix.
It is not a surprise those two teams would be involved in the mix for a cornerback. If reports are to be believed, they both lost out to the Oakland Raiders for the services of Sean Smith. If all these reports are true, it would seem to indicate the 49ers do in fact want to upgrade their starting cornerbacks. This is not a shocking revelation, but it might gives us a better handle on what exactly the team thinks about the guys they currently have on the roster.
This does not necessarily mean the 49ers will use a high pick on the position. They very well could, but the cornerback depth appears to drop off pretty quickly after the big names go in the first round. If the 49ers do not get a Jalen Ramsey, Vernon Hargreaves, or maybe Mackensie Alexander, they could very well decide to roll the dice with much of what they have, and if it is not pretty, try again next year.