The San Francisco 49ers got back second-year safety Marques Sigle from an ankle injury in Week 9. We wondered how the safety rotation would work.
The 49ers shuffled safeties on the first three drives. Malik Mustapha and Ji’Ayir Brown started. On the second series, it was Mustapha and Sigle. On the third series, it was Brown and Sigle. By the end of the game, Mustapha led the way with 38 snaps. Brown played 30, while Sigle played 27.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked what the end goal was with the safety rotation. Shanahan said, “I don’t know what the end goal is. We’ve got three good guys that are playing at a very high level, so you just play that until it plays itself out.”
Brown had one of the fastest GPS times for any 49ers player in Week 9 when he made a touchdown-saving tackle on a kickoff return. His goal-line tackle of Brock Bowers also saved a touchdown.
Mustapha had a pass breakup and an interception. Sigle had three tackles. Each player allowed a reception of at least 18 yards, but that was the only catch they surrendered.
Shanahan continued. “Just like Malik hurt his playing time just because of injuries in training camp, and then kind of the same thing happened to Sigle, who was playing at a real high level before he was hurt. Tig’s been the one who’s stayed consistent and healthy. So, all three of those guys have going, I think if two separate themselves way over another then obviously we would keep those guys out there longer. But, we’ll just keep doing it week-to-week, and we’ll see what it ends up, but it’s a pretty good problem to have.”
It’s tough to fault the Niners for relying on Brown, given his clean bill of health this season.
Week 9 was one of the first, if not only, times this season where a safety didn’t miss a tackle. That’s a good sign. They won’t run into another Brock Bowers, but the safety group will keep getting tested as the offenses they face get tougher in the second half.
Will it be the player who makes the most plays, or the combination that makes the fewest mistakes? Which duo do you think gives the 49ers the best chance to win? Let us know in the comments below.
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