49ers game review: Dre Greenlaw’s yelling points to screaming need for cornerback depth

Dre Greenlaw was screaming. Of course, that’s not unusual.

The San Francisco 49ers‘ emotional linebacker not only screams at opponents – he’s also yelled at an opponent’s head coach (Sean Payton, Week 4) and an opponent’s head of security (Dom DiSandro, 2023).

On Sunday, however, in a 29-20 loss at Atlanta, Greenlaw’s ire was directed at a teammate – Jack Jones – after the five-year veteran blew an assignment that left All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson uncovered on 3rd-and-3 at Atlanta’s 25-yard line in the third quarter.

Before the snap, Greenlaw was animatedly clapping his hands, telling Jones, who was playing left outside cornerback, to protect the left flat. Instead, Jones covered wide receiver Zachariah Branch, who ran a go route. The result: QB Michael Penix flipped a 19-yard completion to the all-alone Robinson.

After Greenlaw tackled Robinson on the right sideline, he got up in balled-fist fury and began barking at Jones.

“He wants Jack Jones to stay out on the flat,” Fox’s Greg Olsen explained to viewers.

Greenlaw wasn’t alone in being frustrated with Jones, 28, whose nightmare fill-in performance earned him an in-game benching later in the same drive. It also raised questions about the 49ers’ need to address their cornerback depth before the Nov. 10 trade deadline and triggered a training-camp memory. 

Here’s what defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said on July 27 when asked about the addition of Jones, who was signed to a one-year deal in April: “Jack Jones has been known as a playmaker,” Morris said, “and he’s also been known to give up some, right?”

It was the first sign that Jones might be a liability. Three months later, the latest signs were all over the Falcons’ 11-play, 90-yard touchdown drive that gave them a 26-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

On the possession, on 2nd-and-20 from Atlanta’s 13, Jones was called for illegal contact when he grabbed the back of wideout Jahan Dotson’s jersey. Three snaps later, Jones blew his assignment on Robinson’s 19-yard catch. Three plays later, on 3rd-and-8 from Atlanta’s 46, Jones was called for a 12-yard pass-interference penalty when he grabbed Dotson’s jersey after he was beaten by a double move.

Two snaps later, Jones was benched. Two snaps later, Penix tossed a 21-yard touchdown pass to wideout Drake London, who had rookie linebacker Jaden Dugger lined up against him in the left slot.  

“We were just frustrated with some of the penalties,” head coach Kyle Shanahan explained of Jones’ benching.

Jones’ 22-snap performance explained the 49ers’ decision-making after nickel corner Upton Stout reinjured his shoulder in the fourth quarter of a 23-17 win against Washington on Oct. 19. Instead of inserting Jones, and moving Deommodore Lenoir to replace Stout in the slot, the 49ers replaced Stout with safety Ashtyn Davis.

That didn’t go well: Davis missed two tackles, allowed a 30-yard reception and had an illegal-contact penalty on 14 snaps.

That prompted the 49ers to give Jones a look at outside corner against Atlanta with Stout still unavailable, moving Lenoir into the slot in their nickel defense. Even before Jones’ disastrous drive, it wasn’t going well.

Late in the second quarter, on 3rd-and-4 from Atlanta’s 44, Jones was covering Dotson on a crossing route before he backed away and pointed in the backfield, seemingly confused about his assignment. The 49ers were fortunate: Dotson couldn’t corral Penix’s pass at the 40-yard line with no defender in sight.

“If he catches that ball,” Olsen said, “he’s in a race to the goal line.”

The past two games have made it clear: The 49ers have three capable cornerbacks – Lenoir, Stout and Renardo Green – and a bare cupboard when it comes to their backups. After Jones was benched, Davis and rookie fourth-round pick Ephesians Prysock each played two snaps when the 49ers were in their nickel defense.

• Speaking of screaming: Shanahan rarely yells at players during games. Among the few exceptions I can recall: He hollered at Green during last season’s divisional-playoff loss in Seattle, and he ripped into QB Jimmy Garoppolo on the bench in November 2021 for an interception against the Vikings that Shanahan later termed “inexcusable.”

Shanahan covered his mouth with his call sheet as he let Garoppolo have it. And he did the same Sunday on the sideline with defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa after the six-year veteran jumped offsides on 4th-and-4 from the Falcons’ 44 with 29 seconds left in the second quarter. What made the infraction so galling to Shanahan: The Falcons had no intention of running a play.

When Odighizuwa came to the sideline after extending a drive that ended with a field goal as time expired in the first half, Shanahan walked in front of Odighizuwa, with his play sheet in front of his mouth, making his displeasure clear. And he wasn’t done. He circled around Odighizuwa and continued to vent.

On Monday, Shanahan was asked about the 49ers’ “self-inflicted mistakes” in a game in which they committed four turnovers. Was their sloppiness discussed at halftime? Shanahan was clearly still hot about Odighizuwa’s error.

“When you make a dumb mistake, you don’t need much discussion on how to correct it. You try not to do dumb things,” Shanahan said. “… The biggest part was our defense stopped them and held them to fourth down. And then we had a dumb jump-offsides penalty. Yeah, it was talked about.”

• Their sloppiness extended to special teams. And the tone was set quickly.

After the 49ers’ game-opening touchdown drive, Branch had a 61-yard return on the ensuing kickoff to set up a 15-yard field-goal drive. During the return, 49ers running back Jordan James was jolted by Atlanta’s Khalil Herbert at the 25-yard line, but he was still in position to make the tackle. However, James took a moment to adjust his helmet in mid-play, just as Branch was zipping past him.

Shanahan noted James’ missed tackle and also wasn’t pleased with kicker Eddy Piñeiro’s kickoff placement.

“We’ve got to kick that where it’s supposed to be,” he said.

The 49ers also allowed a 38-yard kickoff return that set the stage for a 59-yard touchdown drive. In addition, Piñeiro missed an extra-point attempt that loomed large after the Falcons’ field goal with 1:56 left provided a two-score edge at 29-20.

Shanahan was asked about his level of frustration with the special teams.

“It’s not over the top,” he said. “It’s about equal to the rest of our team right now.”

• Wide receiver Jacob Cowing drew social-media criticism for his possible role in quarterback Brock Purdy‘s third-quarter interception, a nifty cleat-dragging sideline pick by safety Jessie Bates on 2nd-and-14 from Atlanta’s 25.

It was an off-schedule play – Purdy was rolling right under pressure – and it wasn’t clear if Cowing could have assisted him by continuing to run toward the sideline instead of turning back to the middle of the field.

For his part, Purdy took the blame. He said it was an intended throwaway that he didn’t get far enough out of bounds. But Purdy also made a mistake shortly after the snap: He had running back Kaelon Black uncovered in the left flat and appeared to be staring him down, as if he was his first read, but he turned it down and fled the pocket.

• The 49ers didn’t have a sack after they collected nine in their previous two games. They pressured Penix on three of his 34 dropbacks, a 9% pressure rate that was their lowest since Dec. 22, 2024, according to ESPN.

“I don’t remember being hit too many times,” Penix said.

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This article originally published at 49ers game review: Dre Greenlaw’s yelling points to screaming need for cornerback depth.