Back in April, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke was positive he’d made a good move by signing veteran cornerback Shareece Wright.
The former Charger had started 27 games in the previous four seasons in San Diego and was penciled in as a starter opposite holdover Tramaine Brock.
“(I) feel very good about Shareece as a player,” Baalke told reporters. He even compared Wright’s signing to the free-agent signing of Carlos Rogers a few seasons earlier. Rogers, formerly of Washington, came to the 49ers and made an immediate impact as a Pro Bowl cornerback in his first season in San Francisco, and played a big role in the team’s rise and participation in three consecutive NFC Championship Games.
However, nearly six months after the signing of Wright, it appears it will pay no dividends whatsoever.
In training camp and exhibition games, Wright was surpassed by young cornerbacks Kenneth Acker, Dontae Johnson and Keith Reaser.
So far, he hasn’t played a down in San Francisco’s first three regular-season games, having been placed on the inactive list before each. Even though the 49ers’ secondary has been torched the past two games and the team is searching for somebody to step up and make a difference in the secondary, Wright hasn’t been given his opportunity.
Obviously, he’s lost whatever confidence the coaching staff and front office had in him when he was signed this past spring.
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Now, the NFL Network, citing sources, is reporting Wright wants to be traded or released – not a surprise, considering his comment on Twitter Sunday after he was told he would be inactive.
Wright tweeted his disappointment, writing: “politics as usual.” He later deleted the tweet, but it was too late.
Niners head coach Jim Tomsula, when asked about Wright’s situation and told about the “politics” tweet, said: “That is an incorrect statement. It had nothing to do with anything. I made the decision to put the guys up that I thought gave us the best chance of winning the football game.”
Now it appears the only question is when the 49ers will part ways with the 28-year-old defensive back. Even though the 49ers will need all the secondary help they can get this Sunday against the undefeated Packers at Levi’s Stadium, it’s hard to see Tomsula and Co. putting Wright out on the field.
