The 49ers are heading into another safety debate, and last year’s shuffle is a big reason why.
At this time in 2023, Kyle Shanahan still wasn’t ready to lock in his Week 1 starters against the Seattle Seahawks. Then came the surprise: rookie Marques Sigle won the job over Ji’Ayir Brown, and San Francisco opened with a Day 3 rookie alongside veteran Jason Pinnock.
That pairing didn’t hold up for long. Sigle’s first month and a half was rough, with opposing quarterbacks finding plenty of success against him.
He was targeted 27 times in that stretch, and 23 of those throws turned into completions. A lot of those snaps put him in range to make a play on the ball - around 20 of them, by the evaluation in the source - but at this level, being close isn’t enough.
Pinnock’s season was even harder to defend. He gave up completions on 88.5% of his 26 targets, allowed four touchdowns and didn’t record a single pass breakup.
The 49ers were trying to survive until Malik Mustapha could get back from injury. By Week 7, Sigle and Pinnock were seeing their snaps cut in half, and Brown stepped into the starting role.
Brown didn’t turn the position into a strength, but he did raise the floor a little. He finished the year with 61.5% of passes completed against him, along with six touchdowns, two pass breakups and two interceptions.
Mustapha eventually worked his way back into the lineup and had the job locked down by Week 8. Among the group, he posted the lowest missed tackle rate, though his 15% mark still wasn’t in the same neighborhood as what Jimmie Ward and Jaquaski Tartt used to produce.
The coverage tape wasn’t filled with highlight-reel plays, but Mustapha kept the damage manageable for most of the season. The one big exception came in his first start against the Texans, when he gave up a 44-yard play.
So the question now is the same one San Francisco has already lived through: does Mustapha need time to ramp up before taking the starting job, or will Raheem Morris trust him from the start? Over the last month, Brown and Sigle have been the starting duo.
In Other News...
49ers Now Face A Bigger Jed York Problem Than The Arrest
Jed Yorks arrest in Ohio may have grabbed the headlines, but inside the 49ers building the more immediate issue is how the team keeps moving with its principal owner operating at a reduced level. General manager John Lynch said the club is preparing for any possible league discipline while also adjusting to a leadership structure that has shifted more of the day-to-day football load toward executive Al Guido, even as the team insists the locker room and football operations have not been disrupted.
For San Francisco, the test is bigger than the legal fallout itself because ownership presence matters during a season, especially for a franchise that has spent years trying to keep its football side steady. The 49ers have tried to project calm publicly, but Yorks absence from the usual rhythm of the operation leaves a different kind of question hanging over the organization: not what happened in Ohio, but how long the team can keep functioning as if nothing has changed. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Australia Plan Could Create A Huge Rams Debate
The NFLs first regular-season game in Australia has already created a contrast in approach, with the Rams and 49ers set to meet in Melbourne on Sept. 10. Los Angeles plans a quick turnaround, arriving the day before the game and heading out right after, while San Francisco is taking a more measured route by getting there several days early to deal with the time change.
That difference has opened the door to an interesting travel debate, especially with neurologist W. Christopher Winter saying the Rams shorter stay may actually be the better way to handle jet lag. For the 49ers, the bigger question is whether the extra days on the ground will help them settle in overseas or end up making the trip feel longer than it needs to be. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Have A Tempting O-Line Possibility They May Not Afford
The 49ers search for stability at left guard has made Quenton Nelson look like the kind of rare upgrade that would instantly change the conversation up front. The Indianapolis Colts still have not reached an extension with the three-time All-Pro, and the talks are currently stagnant, which is enough to get any team with an opening on the interior offensive line at least thinking about a move.
San Francisco is one of the clubs that naturally comes up in that discussion because the spot remains a weakness, but the fit is not so simple. Salary cap constraints and the teams other priorities make a deal for Nelson look unlikely right now, even if the talent level would be hard to ignore for a 49ers front office that knows how valuable dominant play inside can be. [Read more 🡒]