For a brief while to kick off his rookie season a year ago, safety Marques Sigle was one of the better storylines emanating from the San Francisco 49ers' 2025 NFL Draft class—another fifth-round pick who seemed guaranteed to shine.
After starting the first seven weeks, though, Sigle ultimately lost his first-team job and spent the rest of the year as a backup and special teams contributor, thanks largely to fellow safety Malik Mustapha's return from injury.
The Niners subsequently received inconsistent play at safety from Mustapha, now-New York Giants defensive back Jason Pinnock and Ji'Ayir Brown, yet the fact Sigle wasn't given a chance to get back onto the field despite those ups and downs said a good deal.
It's an entirely new context entering 2026, though.
Raheem Morris is San Francisco's new defensive coordinator, and as a defensive backs specialist, perhaps Morris sees something in Sigle with which he can work.
If so, perhaps Sigle ends up being a major wild card in how the 49ers' otherwise shaky safety depth pans out.
49ers would happily welcome a Marques Sigle resurgence
Sigle gained an early reputation as a hard-hitting defensive back, albeit one lacking some discipline. In coverage, opposing quarterbacks posted a near-perfect 149.6 passer rating and completing three touchdowns in the process.
Hard hits don't matter much if they come at the expense of chunk gains.
Perhaps Morris helps Sigle slow the game down a bit, mentally, while encouraging the second-year pro's aggressive tendencies. And if that's the case, the 24-year-old defender might be a surprise name to watch among the starters. Theoretically, he might push either Brown or Mustapha down into a reserve role while also pushing others like Ashtyn Davis or Jalen Stroman off the roster entirely.
It's common for young defensive backs to struggle early at the pro level, and Sigle might merely need a year or two for adequate maturation and development. The leap between years one and two could say a lot, and Morris' tutelage could also be a pivotal factor, too.
Should Sigle take that massive leap, it wouldn't be shocking whatsoever to see him start, as he did early his rookie season.
Likewise, it's feasible he winds up being forgotten and buried on the depth chart if that maturation doesn't occur.
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