49ers Lacking Quality Safeties Will Be a Hot-Button Issue in July

If only they addressed the position this offseason.

Oct 19, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown (center right) talks with safety Malik Mustapha (6) during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

This offseason was a fairly impressive one for the San Francisco 49ers with the additions they made.

Sure, their NFL draft wasn’t appealing, but it doesn’t derail the solid additions they’ve made all offseason. However, there is one area they failed to address, and that’s the safety position.

The 49ers didn’t explore any of the free agents available in March. For a moment, Minkah Fitzpatrick was on the trade block, but that passed. The NFL draft was their last chance to address it.

Unfortunately, they failed with that resource as well. The 49ers were forced to settle upon signing Ashtyn Davis. When the 49ers enter training camp in July, this will be their biggest issue.

49ers have serious concern at safety

As of now, the only sufficient safety the 49ers have is Malik Mustapha, and that’s a bit of a stretch. He didn’t play well last season after a promising rookie year. Mustapha is lacking in pass coverage.

Part of that is his small size, which is why he’s better playing closer to the line of scrimmage. However, he would miss tackles here and there or take a poor angle towards the ball.

Maybe he didn’t play well last year due to a late start to the season. He was working his way back from an ACL injury, so he didn’t have time to work on his game. All of his time was spent rehabbing.

Mustapha has a chance to get back on track as a starting-caliber safety. It certainly won’t be Ji’Ayir Brown. He’s been mediocre almost every season. I doubt Raheem Morris, who is a defensive backs-oriented coach, can help.

As for Marques Sigle, he’s got a chance to be the 49ers’ best safety. He’s proved he can play the run well while he’s perched up top, 20 yards deep. He also finishes tackles. There’s a lot to like with Sigle.

All he needs to do is finish plays in pass coverage. He’ll read receivers and stay near them decently, but he fails once he’s targeted and allows catches way too easily. He’s always in position. Yet it’s like he doesn’t know what to do once he’s targeted.

If Morris can get him to clean that up and Mustapha to bounce back, the 49ers will have more than a sufficient safety duo. The answer certainly won’t be their latest addition, Davis. It’s Mustapha and Sigle or bust for them.

Let’s see if this gamble works for them.

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