We explain why Justin Reid fits the mold of a Robert Saleh safety
We’ll go through numerous NFL Draft and free agent profiles this offseason. We’ll do our best to make them as realistic as possible.
For example, the San Francisco 49ers signing Kansas City Chiefs right guard Trey Smith would be a Lamonte Wade Jr. McCovey Cove level of home run signing this offseason. But that would require rookie Dominick Puni to move to the left side after spending his rookie year learning a brand new position. Could it happen? Sure. Is it likely? Probably not.
There’s another player on the Chiefs who is a free agent this offseason and will fit the 49ers’ culture while filling a need.
Malik Mustapha needs a mentor. The front office did a fantastic job identifying Mustapha’s skill set on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft. He flies around and hits anything that’s moving. I’d argue Mustapha is the hardest-hitting player on the 49ers’ defense. There weren’t many occasions when Mustapha made a tackle, and the ball carrier went forward.
Mustapha is the free safety of the future for the 49ers. And it might be unfair to pigeonhole him into one spot. He rotated closer to the line of scrimmage plenty of times during a game and held his own. Mustapha’s rookie success might be John Lynch’s best argument to plug in another Day 3 safety instead of spending big money on a free-agent safety. Still, Mustapha needs somebody to learn the game from.
A veteran to show Mustapha how to watch film, take care of your body, and practice the right way. The same is true for Ji’Ayir Brown. Talanoa Hufanga is an unrestricted free agent coming off his rookie contract. Tashaun Gipson is an unrestricted free agent. George Odum is a special teams ace but doesn’t have the playing experience.
Reiding into the situation
Justin Reid does. Reid turns 24 in February. The former third-rounder from Stanford has arguably gotten better each year since entering the league in 2018. Availability should be at the top of the 49ers’ priority list this offseason. Reid has missed three games in the previous three seasons with the Chiefs.
Not only does Reid play special teams for Kansas City, but 47 percent of his defensive snaps came in the box at safety. So, that’d allow Mustapha to stay at free safety. Again, that’s not to say Reid is limited to playing in the box. He has 177 snaps at slot cornerback, including 11 in the AFC Championship. He is versatile because he can excel at multiple positions, not just line up there.
Tackling in tackle football is important. It was the Niners’ biggest issue at safety this past season. It’s one thing when your linebacker misses a tackle in the backfield, and the rest of the defense is there to corral the running back. When your safety misses a tackle, James Cook runs for 60 more yards, or Kyler Murray races for 40 yards into the end zone.
Reid’s broken + missed tackle percentage was 9.4 in 2024. That’s three times lower than Hufanga and half the percentage of misses by Mustapha and Brown last year. Reid had the fourth-lowest missed tackle rate in the NFL among all defensive backs. That tells us he knows how to tackle and has good habits. That’s the type of information he can pass along to the likes of Mustapha and Brown.
The price
How much would the 49ers be willing to pay for a high-quality safety is the question? How highly do they value the position compared to other needs in which they feel worthy of making significant investments?
The market suggests that Reid will make around $11 million per season. If the front office had to decide, is paying big money for a safety this offseason a better investment than a cornerback? Where the talent lies in the NFL Draft will influence these decisions.
Reid won’t be cheap, but that should have never been the expectation when you’re talking about a superb talent. Reid is also the best player available at safety, which means the suitors will come early and often. If it comes down to a bidding war, the Niners may wait for the second wave of free agency, where a player like Harrison Smith might make more sense financially.
But if Robert Saleh tells Kyle Shanahan safety is a position he needs to get the defense back to their dominant ways, Reid is the cream of the crop when it comes to safeties.