49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: Safety Jaquiski Tartt
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise’s 2018 “Who Is?” series on San Francisco 49ers players shifts focus to the defense, taking a look at veteran safety Jaquiski Tartt and his projected role this upcoming season.
Only a handful of former San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke’s NFL Draft selections remain with the Niners entering 2018, and even fewer have bona fide roles heading into this season.
One of those, of course, is fourth-year pro Jaquiski Tartt, who cemented himself as a solid piece of the team’s future after a breakout effort a year ago.
Tartt, a second-round pick out of Samford back in 2015, managed to appear in just nine games last season before suffering a season-ending arm injury halfway through the year. But he certainly made a strong note, shifting between both strong and free safety and even pushing fellow safety Eric Reid out of a starting job.
With Reid now departed via free agency, the starting strong safety job is Tartt’s alone.
Tartt’s career didn’t exactly get off to a strong start, though. While his traditional stats remained largely consistent the past three years, one has to dive a bit deeper to get the full picture:
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/2/2018.
In 2017, Pro Football Focus gave Tartt an 85.7 overall grade — highest among all 49ers defensive backs last year. By contrast, Tartt’s 2015 and 2016 PFF grades were 43.3 and 50.8, respectively, and it was looking as if the small-school defensive back was heading towards being labeled yet another one of Baalke’s bust picks.
That all changed last year, though, which sets Tartt up nicely for what promises to be an exciting season.
Why Jaquiski Tartt Improves in 2018
The good news, based off the PFF data, is Tartt appears to be on the ascent. He’s only 26 years old and is entering the prime of his career. And based off what we saw a year ago, there are few reasons to assume he’ll suffer any sort of on-field regression.
Plus, it helps he’ll be operating in the exact same scheme as last year. His role will be clearly defined too, as the Niners will likely start second-year pro Adrian Colbert at free safety.
The continuity should benefit Tartt a lot. 2018 will mark the first time in Tartt’s NFL career where he’s worked under the same defensive coordinator (remember, the 49ers underwent three coaching changes since the beginning of 2015), Robert Saleh, who should get credit for maximizing Tartt’s impact at his perfect position.
Strong safeties in Saleh’s defense frequently play up in the box, lending support against the run and handling primary coverage assignments against tight ends and running backs.
Tartt was excellent in coverage last year, posting an 86.4 pass-coverage grade, per PFF.
Why He Regresses
Again, there are few reasons to assume any major regression. It’s possible he doesn’t quite bounce back from an elongated injury, although all indications from San Francisco’s offseason programs suggest otherwise.
If there was a weakness in Tartt’s game last year, it might have come against the run. PFF gave him a 73.7 run-defense grade a year ago, which isn’t bad but not stellar either. And with Tartt’s duties primarily up in the box, one can see how this might be something of a minor issue.
Especially when the 49ers are in sub packages and opponents are running the ball in three-wide formations. This will often leave Tartt open to defend, flanked by somewhat inferior run stoppers and better pass-protecting linemen and linebackers.
It’s a bit nitpicky, but that’s an area in which Tartt could be exposed.
San Francisco 49ers
Projected Role with the 49ers in 2018
Not re-signing Reid this offseason all but ensured San Francisco is handing Tartt starting duties at strong safety. The only realistic competition Tartt will face in training camp this year will be rookie defensive back Marcell Harris out of Florida. And Harris is coming off a 2017 Achilles injury, meaning he’s more projected for backup duties than anything else.
Plus, the 49ers already extended Tartt through 2020. He’ll be around for the foreseeable future, and there’s no reason to assume his role changes anytime soon.
So what should fans look for this season?
Remember, Saleh brought aboard a scheme almost identical to the one the Seattle Seahawks have been running for years — a Cover 3 grouping with a physical strong safety down in the box. In Seattle, this meant now-retired safety Kam Chancellor patrolling the second level and doing so with excellent physicality.
Tartt’s 6-foot-1, 221-pound frame is ideal for this. I recall Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller talking on how Tartt plays with a mean streak on every play back when the Niners drafted him. Why should anything be different in 2018?
Next: 49ers 2018 offseason positional preview: Safety
Assuming Tartt stays healthy this season, he should be about as good an enforcer the 49ers have had at the position for a long, long time.