3 burning questions for 49ers safeties in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: How About the 49ers Safety Depth?
One of the plausible reasons why Jamal Adams to San Francisco would make some sense, aside from the pure upgrade at strong safety, is the fact Jaquiski Tartt hasn’t been able to stay healthy the past few seasons.
In 2017, Tartt missed seven games and landed on injured reserve. The following year, he missed eight. Last season, he was out for four.
This put extreme pressure on the 49ers’ primary backup to Tartt, two-year pro Marcell Harris, who despite being a good run stopper and open-field tackler, was a notable liability in coverage in the four games he was asked to start. His 59.3 pass-coverage grade is an indication of the issues here.
It’s possible another year of development at the pro level does Harris some good. Same with fellow two-year pro Tarvarius Moore, who was given plenty of opportunities to seize the starting free safety job last preseason while Jimmie Ward was absent with injury.
Neither Harris nor Moore showed enough prowess to solidify themselves as excellent starting candidates, though.
San Francisco added undrafted free-agent safety Jared Mayden out of Alabama, too, so he’s in the mix. Yet there’s no real excellent reserve option with a proven track record behind Ward and Tartt, prompting some wondrous concerns if the next question winds up being a problem.