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The 49ers are Signing Giants FS Jason Pinnock to a 1-Year Deal

The 49ers need more fast safeties.
Grant Cohn|
Aug 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) looks on before the game against the Detroit Lions at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Aug 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock (27) looks on before the game against the Detroit Lions at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

This is an intriguing move.

The 49ers are signing New York Giants free safety Jason Pinnock to a one-year deal according to Jordan Schultz. Which means the 49ers are taking a flier on him.

Pinnock is only 25 years old, he was a fifth-round draft pick in 2021 and he started 32 games the past two seasons for the Giants. Granted, his Pro Football Focus grades weren't good, but he played for a terrible franchise. And he's extremely athletic. And he doesn't miss many tackles.

Pinnock was drafted by the Jets, which means Robert Saleh drafted him. Saleh was the Jets head coach at the time and now he's the 49ers' defensive coordinator. In college, Pinnock was a cornerback, which means he's fast. He ran a 4.49 at his Pro Day.

The 49ers need more fast safeties. They already have plenty who run slower than 4.6. Saleh wants maximum speed and violence. That's why he drafted Pinnock in the first place.

It's also why Saleh loved coaching Jimmie Ward so much. He's an extremely fast safety who doesn't miss many tackles. Pinnock is similar. Expect Saleh to use Pinnock similarly to how he used Ward, meaning in man-to-man coverage against tight ends on third down.

It will be interesting to see if Pinnock can improve in a good organization under good coaching. If not, at least they didn't give him more than a one-year deal.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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