Analyzing 49ers safety group post 53-man cut

With the San Francisco 49ers cutting down their squad of players to 53 men, how is the safety player group looking heading in 2019?

During the offseason, safety is one position in particular many fans and analysts around the league considered the San Francisco 49ers would look to bolster.

With free agency fairly well stacked with competent veteran safeties, including Earl Thomas who many thought may well end up with the Niners. It came as a surprise when the 49ers in fact decided to stick with the players they already had on the roster.

General manager John Lynch addressed the issue some months ago stating the Niners were happy with their safety group. At the time, the 49ers had just re-signed both defensive backs Jimmie Ward and Antone Exum Jr.

However, with the 2019 NFL season about to kick off, is it an area the 49ers wished they had deemed more important to improve?

In a recent conference call, Lynch touched on the versatility of the Niners secondary and the possibility of looking to sign another safety.

“We have a lot of versatility in our defensive backfield whether it’s guys like Tarvarius Moore and Jimmie Ward who are playing safety that can play corner. Or guys like D.J. Reed Jr. playing corner that have some safety flex that gives us some flexibility,” Lynch said. “I don’t think that’s unreasonable to expect that we may be making a move to bolster that safety unit.”

With the 53-man cut, the 49ers said goodbye to safety Adrian Colbert, who after a standout rookie year in 2017, failed to impress for much of 2018 with poor form and unfortunate injuries. Though hopes were high for Colbert to return to his rookie year standard, an underwhelming preseason would ultimately lead to his departure.

As well as Colbert, the 49ers initially cut safety Marcell Harris and the aforementioned Exum Jr. However, following the consolidation of the roster, Exum Jr. was brought back on a one-year deal after defensive lineman Kentavius Street was placed on injured reserve, while Harris was signed to the team’s practice squad.

Although lining up at nickel corner, defensive back D.J. Reed is also capable of slotting into safety should the need arise.

Lynch has left it somewhat late if he decides to now try and secure the services of a reputable safety. And, with that, will the 49ers be in trouble if starters Ward and safety Jaquiski Tartt succumb to injury as they unfortunately so often do?

With the roster now set, for the time being, we take a look at the four safeties the 49ers have decided to start their 2019 season with.