Tag: Deommodore Lenoir

Budding 49ers star tries recruiting disgruntled former DPOY

One of the 49ers’ budding stars is ready for San Francisco to enter the Myles Garrett sweepstakes.

Myles Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, made waves on Monday when he requested a trade away from the Cleveland Browns.

That news undoubtedly caught the attention of every NFL front office as they work the phone lines with Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry and Browns owner Jimmy Haslam to try to iron out a trade for one of the league’s top defensive stars.

Count 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir among the active recruiters around the league for Garrett’s services.

Lenoir fired off a hilarious tweet indicating his desire for Garrett to join San Francisco’s defense in the bay area.

The asking price for Garrett will understandably be high. The 29-year-old is smack dab in the middle of his prime and has two years remaining on a record-breaking five-year, $125 million extension that he signed in 2020.

Would San Francisco seriously consider dealing away the No. 11 overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft in order to make a Garrett trade happen? It would take more than the No. 11 pick alone to make a Garrett trade a reality.

The No. 11 overall pick and a package of other picks in this year’s draft or next could possibly get the 49ers to the finish line. San Francisco’s 2026 first-round pick might have to enter the equation as well to get a deal done.

For a superstar of Garrett’s magnitude, the 49ers have to at least kick the tires on that possibility.

The idea of Garrett pairing up with 49ers star edge rusher Nick Bosa is fun to think about. Bosa and Garrett would morph into the most feared pass rushing duo in the NFL overnight if the 49ers could pull it off.

Garrett just amassed an NFL-best 22 tackles for loss last season. The Texas A&M alum also finished second in the NFL with 14 sacks during the 2024 campaign.

Garrett’s 102.5 sacks in his first eight NFL seasons are the fifth-most by any player since sacks became official in 1982.

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WR Deebo Samuel is one of five ‘out’ on 49ers Week 18 injury report

All the latest updates and news on 49ers’ injury report ahead of a Week 18 game vs. Cardinals.

The San Francisco 49ers will finish the season the way they started it – banged up and missing a handful of star players.

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel, quarterback Brock Purdy and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir are all listed as ‘out’ for the team’s Week 18 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.

Tight end George Kittle is also ‘questionable.’

It’s not a huge surprise the 49ers opted for maximum caution with player like Purdy and Lenoir since both figure to be key pieces in the team’s future beyond the 2024 campaign. The same may be true for Samuel, although his future in San Francisco is still uncertain.

For the 49ers, they can’t climb out of the cellar in the NFC West, so there isn’t much to play for in Sunday’s game. A win could drop them as far as No. 14 in the NFL draft. A loss would keep them at No. 11, which is where they’re slated to pick entering the final week of the regular season.

49ers injury report

Out

DE Robert Beal (ankle)
OL Spencer Burford (calf)
CB Deommodore Lenoir (shoulder)
QB Brock Purdy (elbow)
WR Deebo Samuel (ribs, wrist)

Doubtful

LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf)

Questionable

S Ji’Ayir Brown (ankle)
TE George Kittle (ankle, hamstring)
OT Colton McKivitz (knee)
CB Isaac Yiadom (pelvis)

Kickoff from State Farm Stadium in Arizona is slated for 1:25pm Pacific Time.

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Kyle Shanahan gives 49ers injury updates, including positive news on QB Brock Purdy

Brock Purdy got through some light throwing on Monday.

The San Francisco 49ers left their 38-10 blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers with a handful of injury issues, but head coach Kyle Shanahan did have some positive news on quarterback Brock Purdy during his Monday conference call.

Shanahan told reporters Purdy got some light throwing in Monday and didn’t have the pain return to his shoulder, which is a good sign for his chances to ramp up ahead of Week 13. Purdy missed Week 12 because of a shoulder injury he sustained in Week 11 against the Seattle Seahawks. He was limited in practice throughout Week 12 and then ruled out Friday on the injury report.

This week he’ll get a rest day Tuesday with a chance to return to practice Wednesday.

With the 49ers’ postseason hopes on life support, Purdy’s health may be the biggest factor moving forward in whether they have a chance to fight back into the playoff picture. That he made positive strides Monday is a good first step toward getting him back.

The updates on defensive end Nick Bosa and Trent Williams were less optimistic. Shanahan said both are still day-to-day, though their statuses for Week 13 remain up in the air.

Shanahan also had updates on players who played in Sunday’s game.

Two offensive lineman, left guard Aaron Banks and right guard Dominick Puni were banged up during the contest. Banks is in concussion protocol. Puni has a shoulder issue and the team is awaiting an MRI.

Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott is also in concussion protocol after leaving the game early.

Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir is also dealing with a knee problem that required an MRI. The 49ers are awaiting those results. Lenoir has been their best defensive back this season, and losing him would be a significant blow to their secondary. If he can’t go, rookie Renardo Green would likely move down to the slot with Isaac Yiadom and potentially Charvarius Ward getting the starts on the outside. Ward is still working his way back after a long-term absence for a personal tragedy. However, Green is day-to-day with a neck injury per Shanahan.

Injuries were rough for San Francisco in Green Bay. It may be even worse in Week 13 when they visit the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football.

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Reported numbers on Deommodore Lenoir contract are bargain for 49ers

These reported contract numbers for Deommodore Lenoir are wild. The 49ers got a steal.

Initial reports on a new contract for San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir made it clear the team got a good deal on their 25-year-old breakout star.

Additional numbers provided by Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports paint an even better picture for the 49ers in the deal.

Jones reported Lenoir’s five-year deal is worth $88.8 million. The original report said it was $92 million. That puts the average annual value at $17.76 million. Lenoir still lands as the No. 12 highest-paid CB in terms of average annual value.

The numbers that matter in NFL contracts are the guarantees, and Lenoir inked a deal for just $15.5 million guaranteed at signing according to Jones’s numbers. That’s a bargain for San Francisco. Denver Broncos Patrick Surtain II is in a tier above Lenoir, but his new deal landed him $40.7 million guaranteed at signing. Chicago Bears CB Jaylon Johnson got $43.8 million guaranteed at signing.

Jones also notes Lenoir’s contract includes $43.3 million guaranteed for injury.

Overall this deal won’t do much to impact the 49ers’ ability to fit a top-of-market contract for quarterback Brock Purdy in the offseason when he becomes eligible for an extension. It also helps San Francisco shore up its secondary with an ascending star at an extremely affordable price. If these are the final numbers, the 49ers got a steal.

Update

A further breakdown of the contract was published by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

According to Florio, “only 17 percent of Lenoir’s deal is fully guaranteed at signing; that’s the smallest full-guaranteed portion for any cornerback making more than $2 million per year.”

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Deommodore Lenoir contract may signal philosophy shift for 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are building their defense a little differently than they have in the past.

The San Francisco 49ers may be changing the way they build their roster on the defensive side of the football.

They agreed to a five-year, $92 million contract extension with cornerback Deommodore Lenoir which was first reported Tuesday afternoon. It looked going into the season like the team’s various financial commitments may force them to let Lenoir walk in free agency. Veteran Charvarius Ward is playing the best football of his career and is also due to hit the free agent market following the 2024 campaign.

It wouldn’t have been a surprise had the 49ers opted to let Lenoir go. They’ve not prioritized the secondary during the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan era, preferring instead to focus their resources on building out a strong pass rush.

Their defensive fronts have been disappointing the last couple of years, and in 2023 they were forced to make two mid-season trades to find pass rush help. Instead, their secondary shined during their run to the Super Bowl where they met a Kansas City Chiefs defense that was loaded with high-quality defensive backs.

It may be that the 49ers are undergoing a philosophical change on defense where they’re investing more in the secondary and perhaps trying to build out a deeper defensive front that has effective players alongside superstar defensive end Nick Bosa.

Replacing players like Dee Ford, DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead hasn’t been easy, and finding players of that caliber like they did in 2019 may not be something they’re capable of doing given their financial commitments and lack of high draft picks.

The Lenoir contract isn’t the only signal of a potential shift. The team also spent a second-round pick on Florida State CB Renardo Green in this year’s draft. It’s the earliest they’ve ever drafted a cornerback in the Lynch-Shanahan era, and Green has been terrific stepping into the nickel CB role as a rookie. While the 49ers added Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos and Jordan Elliott in free agency, none of those players broke the bank. Even Maliek Collins was acquired with a seventh-round pick. The team prioritized depth on the defensive front while investing significant resources in the secondary in this year’s draft with Green and fourth-round pick Malik Mustapha. They also traded up for safety Ji’Ayir Brown in the third round of the 2023 draft where they didn’t pick until Round 3.

Perhaps this is just a function of the available talent and the 49ers will go back to their defensive line-first philosophy down the road, but for now the front-to-back defense we’ve come to know in San Francisco may become a back-to-front defense where the secondary is the star.

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49ers breakout star DB gets big-time contract extension

Deommodore Lenoir is locked into a new contract with the 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers are locking up one of their top young defenders on a long-term contract.

According to Fox Sports’s Jordan Schultz, the 49ers and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir have agreed to a five-year deal worth up to $92 million. There are no details on the deal yet. The $18.4 million average annual value is the 12th-highest in the NFL among cornerbacks.

Lenoir, 25, has been one of the breakout stars of this season for San Francisco. He was due to hit free agency in the offseason, but instead he signed a deal mid-season to give himself some long-term security.

The 49ers selected Lenoir in the fifth-round of the 2021 draft. He got off to a rocky start in his first couple of seasons, but broke out in the 2022 playoffs where he snagged a pair of interceptions and didn’t allow a touchdown.

Last season was his best as a pro while bouncing between the slot and playing outside. In 2024 he’s backed up his strong 2023 campaign by being perhaps San Francisco’s best defensive back. He has two interceptions, six pass breakups, one forced fumble and a paltry 65.0 passer rating allowed when targeted according to Pro Football Focus. Lenoir has yet to allow a touchdown this season. He’s also been one of the 49ers’ best, most consistent run defenders.

It looked like the 49ers’ salary cap situation may force them to let Lenoir walk after the final year of his rookie contract was up, but now they’ve ensured he’ll be with them for at least the next few seasons.

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Did Kyle Shanahan hint that 49ers plan to keep pending free agent CB?

Deommodore Lenoir has been awesome this season.

There aren’t many players on the San Francisco 49ers playing better than cornerback Deommodore Lenoir through the first eight weeks.

Lenoir, a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft, is entering the final year of his contract and appears to be on track for a sizable payday in the offseason. The 49ers have some financial constraints ahead considering the lucrative contract extension quarterback Brock Purdy figures to fetch this offseason, but Lenoir may be another player they prioritize.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday was asked about Lenoir’s terrific start to the 2024 campaign. In his answer he made an interesting comment about Lenoir’s playing style that may signal the team’s intent to pay him in free agency.

“Yeah, DMo’s been a stud,” Shanahan said. “He is exactly what you want a 49er to play like. He came in his first rookie camp and stood out, got me fined for illegally jamming people too hard and putting on the internet. So, I always mess with him for that. But he started out real well, made a couple mistakes early on as a rookie and lost his confidence just a little bit I thought his rookie year. Then that second season, the way he came back in the offseason, kind of just possessed to get that job back and he’s kind of owned it ever since. He’s been a stud for a while to me and he gets better each year. He’s having a hell of a year.”

It’s not a slam dunk that the 49ers will keep a player just because the head coach said “he is exactly what you want a 49er to play like,” but it’s an indication of how highly regarded Lenoir is in the team’s building.

He has the versatility to play in the slot or outside, and he’s steadily improved over his four years to become the most reliable member of a very good secondary.

Lenoir figures to get a big-time contract in free agency, and his market may dictate that he’s owed more than the 49ers can or will spend at corner.

However, his importance to their team is growing and Shanahan’s quote on him is indicative of that.

If the 49ers’ pass rush continues to struggle and their secondary continues playing well, we may see a shift in philosophy where the 49ers prioritize a very good coverage corner like Lenoir, then see if they can go bargain hunting to fill in their pass rush instead of the other way around.

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49ers injury news: George Kittle, Deebo Samuel active vs. Cowboys

49ers inactives do NOT include George Kittle and Deebo Samuel.

The San Francisco 49ers got good news on the injury front just before their game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

Neither tight end George Kittle nor Deebo Samuel were listed among the team’s inactives, meaning both are officially playing in a massive game for the 49ers.

Kittle was questionable because of a foot injury. Samuel was questionable after a bout with pneumonia. Both players missed Wednesday’s practice and were limited Thursday and Friday.

After going through pregame workouts, both players were good to go in the game.

Here’s who won’t be active for the 49ers:

QB Joshua Dobbs (QB3)
WR Jauan Jennings (hip)
DL Kevin Givens (groin)
K Jake Moody
LB Jalen Graham
CB Rock Ya-Sin
OL Ben Bartch

Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was also questionable with an illness, but he’s good to go as well.

An interesting twist is that second-year TE Brayden Willis is active for only the second time this season. That may be because the team has questions about whether Kittle will be able to play a full complement of snaps. They may also be aiming to run more multiple TE sets against a Dallas defense that hasn’t been particularly effective at stopping the run.

Kickoff at Levi’s Stadium is set for 5:20pm Pacific Time.

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49ers special teams comes up with miracle TD vs. Cardinals

The 49ers special teams unit delivered on Sunday against the Cardinals.

For the first month of the season, the San Franciso 49ers’ special teams unit has struggled. Whether it’s a blocked punt, a successful fake punt from the opponent or soft coverage on returns, special teams have hurt the 49ers at times to start the 2024 campaign.

However, Sunday in Santa Clara against the Arizona Cardinals was a different story. With the Cardinals driving to set up a field goal attempt in the second quarter of Week 5, the special teams unit delivered.

Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott got up in the air to block a 44-yard field goal. Once Elliott got a hand on the ball, Deommodore Lenior did the rest, scooping the ball up for a long touchdown return.

Via @NFL on Twitter:

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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49ers rising star CB talks trash to Vikings QB Sam Darnold

Whewwww spicy.

The Minnesota Vikings got the better of their matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in 2023.

That didn’t stop 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir from talking a little smack to his former teammate and Vikings starting quarterback Sam Darnold.

Lenoir after Thursday’s practice had some fun with the 49ers’ former backup quarterback during an interview in the locker room.

“Me and Sam, we had this connection,” Lenoir told reporters as he raised his hands to mimic catching a football. “He liked to throw the ball to me. So, this week we’re coming. He knows it.”

Lenoir continued with praise of his former teammate.

“I know he’s a talented player,” Lenoir said. “He’s gonna come ready to work. I know how he prepares. He gave us great looks when he played here with us. Just taking over the scout team, he was throwing dimes, so I know it’s gonna have to be tight, sticky coverage.”

Darnold didn’t get to see the field much for the 49ers in 2023, but he started his 2024 in Minnesota with a bang. He earned their starting job out of training camp and completed 19-of-24 throws for 208 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in a 28-6 Vikings win over the Giants.

Minnesota is a tough matchup for San Francisco, and a turnover may swing the game. Even if Darnold is good, the 49ers would love to see Lenoir rekindle that connection with the former 49ers QB to come up with a takeaway.

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