49ers activate CB Jason Verrett after more than year away

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- After more than a year, the San Francisco 49ers officially welcomed cornerback Jason Verrett back to their active roster.

The Niners activated Verrett from the reserve/physically unable to perform list on Wednesday, the final day the team could do so after opening his practice window three weeks ago.

Verrett had been working his way back from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered in a victory against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 12, 2021.

While Verrett is now available to play as soon as Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, it's still unclear when he will make his debut. He was limited in Wednesday's practice.

"We're going to keep doing the same things we've done with him in practice," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "We're not ruling him out this week. We'll wait and see how he practices and go from there."

A healthy Verrett could provide a boost for a defense that has struggled since losing starting cornerback Emmanuel Moseley to a torn left ACL on Oct. 9. The Niners turned to second-year cornerback Deommodore Lenoir to fill the void, but Verrett would offer a steady, veteran presence if he can approximate his previous form.

After enduring multiple season-ending injuries in the first six years of his NFL career, Verrett returned to health in 2020 and was the Niners' best corner for 13 of those games. It was as close as he had been to his 2015 Pro Bowl form with the Los Angeles Chargers, who drafted him in the first round in 2014.

"We'd love to get him back," defensive end Nick Bosa said. "When he's out there at full strength, he's as good as they come. We're definitely happy to have him."

Running back Tevin Coleman, who was released Tuesday to make room on the roster for Verrett, was re-signed to the practice squad Wednesday.