The San Francisco 49ers are hoping the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will revamp that side of the ball after a frustrating and underwhelming effort a year ago.
Saleh influenced plenty of offseason roster changes, too, especially during the NFL Draft when six of the Niners' first eight picks were used on defensive players.
Yet San Francisco might be asking Saleh to work too much of his magic at one particular spot on defense that remains a major question mark in the days counting down to training camp.
Safety.
Not unlike the rest of the defense, the 49ers' safety situation changed significantly from 2024, highlighted by offseason departures of veterans like Tashaun Gipson and All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga. Making things worse was the in-draft news then-rookie defensive back Malik Mustapha, who had shown so much promise in year one, suffered an ACL tear during the Niners' regular-season finale back in January.
With Mustapha likely to miss the beginning of 2025, San Francisco is certainy in a bid with regard to its options at the very back end of the defense.
And there are more questions than answers.
49ers have troublesome worry at safety entering 2025
Mustapha's return is something the 49ers can anticipate, yes, but plugging the gap in the interim won't be easy.
Granted, the Niners attempted to do this via the draft by selecting Kansas State's Marques Sigle on day three, but Sigle is dealing with an injury that'll keep him out until training camp, as disclosed by head coach Kyle Shanahan during organized team activities.
Not exactly great for the rookie's development.
Likewise, third-year pro Ji'Ayir Brown won't be available until the same time after undergoing an offseason ankle procedure, potentially lessening his readiness as a go-to option after being demoted to the bench late last season.
Remaining options on the 90-man offseason roster are limited:
Richie Grant
Jaylen Mahoney
George Odum
Jason Pinnock
Odum, the elder statesman of the room, remains primarily a special teams ace and not a full-time defender, while both Grant and Pinnock were offseason pickups to assist on the third phase of the game, too.
Mahoney, meanwhile, spent the bulk of his 2024 rookie year on the practice squad and doesn't figure to be much more than that kind of role player in 2025.
Overall, San Francisco is on shaky ground at safety heading into camp, and until some injury reinforcements return and get up to speed, Saleh is likely going to be tasked with getting very creative with how he deploys his limited options.
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