The 49ers have a hole at safety that remains an unknown heading into training camp.
The San Francisco 49ers are done with mandatory minicamp, meaning the next stop on the offseason checklist will be training camp late next month.
As the 49ers get deeper into the offseason, their depth chart is slowly starting to unravel, with younger players getting into the fold. But, one of the positions that still remains unknown is safety.
It doesn’t seem likely that Malik Mustapha is going to be available to start the year. Ji’Ayir Brown hasn’t practiced this offseason after undergoing an ankle procedure. And there isn’t a clear-cut starter in the group, with returnee George Odum also not practicing during minicamp.
Brown and Odum will be healthy for training camp, according to Kyle Shanahan, but they may not be pegged in as starters. Instead, one of those roles could go to free agent addition Jason Pinnock, whom the 49ers signed to a one-year, fully guaranteed, $2.2 million deal.
Pinnock, 25, was a starter for the New York Giants last year, recording 85 tackles, four tackles for loss, and a pass breakup. He didn’t post great coverage stats, but he does have a connection to the coaching staff, being drafted by Robert Saleh with the New York Jets back in 2021.
Pinnock was released after one season and moved from cornerback to safety with the Giants, where he’s been for the past three years. Now, back with a familiar face, he could push for a starting gig in the secondary.
“We drafted J.P. (Jason Pinnock) as a corner, and halfway through his rookie year, we moved him over to safety,” Saleh said. “Credit some of the guys at the Jets that are still there, just kind of beat him out in that second year.”
“I’ve always been a fan of his athleticism, his length, his football IQ. He’s a really good football player, and just being with him over the course of the first couple of months, he’s grown significantly from a maturity standpoint, and he’s attacked the heck out of it. He’s going for it. So, with Jason, you’re getting a guy that’s going to add athleticism and speed and football IQ to your football team. And now, that’s just a matter of him competing and holding onto it.”
San Francisco has quite a few faces competing in the safety room. Brown and Odum are two of those players, and should push when they’re back healthy at training camp. But, neither player has been a stronghold at safety, with the former getting benched for Mustapha last year and the latter not being in the mix on defense much at all.
San Francisco also drafted Marques Sigle in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but he has yet to practice. Free agent Richie Grant and former undrafted free agent Jaylen Mahomey are also a part of the room, so there will be some depth for competition next month.
But, Pinnock seems to have an early advantage and could very well be the team’s Week 1 starter if Mustapha misses time as expected.