SANTA CLARA -- Charvarius Ward earned Second-Team All-Pro honors after a stellar campaign during the 2023 NFL season, but the veteran cornerback believes another member of the 49ers' defensive backfield is poised to make a similar leap.
Deommodore Lenoir has developed into an invaluable piece on San Francisco's defense, playing considerable snaps at slot cornerback in addition to a substantial workload on the outside over the last two seasons.
Between both cornerback spots, where exactly is Lenoir set up to have the most success? It doesn't matter, according to Ward, who shared the utmost belief in Lenoir's ability to dominate regardless of his position on the field.
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"I feel like he [Lenoir] can be [an] All-Pro or Pro Bowler at both positions in my opinion," Ward said after Friday's training camp practice.
After roaming the 49ers' defensive backfield together for two seasons, Ward highlighted Lenoir's confidence as the area he has grown the most during their overlapping tenures in San Francisco.
"His confidence, his technique," Ward said. "He's getting that belief from the coaches now. That they can throw him inside or outside and he's going to ball at either spot. So I think that confidence for sure."
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It's easy to get lost in the shuffle when you play on the same defense as former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and perennial All-Pro Fred Warner, but there is a strong argument to be made that Lenoir was as valuable as any player on the 49ers' defense in 2023.
Lenoir played over 1,000 snaps at cornerback last season, dividing his time between the slot (418 snaps) and lining up outside (648 snaps) per Pro Football Focus, giving San Francisco's defensive backfield crucial stability when it might have otherwise crumbled without his ability to seamlessly plug-in wherever he was needed most.
This kind of adaptability is impressive in any season, but particularly on the heels of a 2022 campaign where Lenoir established himself as a starting NFL cornerback while playing over 80 percent of his snaps lined up on the outside.
It would be understandable if a player in Lenoir's position took a step back while having to adjust to the daunting task of juggling two critical roles at the same time. Instead, Lenoir did the opposite and continued his ascension to the point where he's receiving All-Pro shoutouts from one of the NFL's most respected cornerbacks.
Being able to pivot into an entirely different role at a moment's notice without missing a beat is something typically reserved for elite players -- and at this juncture, Lenoir has rightfully earned that designation.
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