The SF 49ers lost safety Jaquiski Tartt for the season, yet these four on the depth chart could stand to benefit in his absence.
The SF 49ers have become all too familiar with the idea that one player’s setback becomes another’s opportunity.
Sadly, the latest injury setback to befall head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad is losing another starter, strong safety Jaquiski Tartt, whose turf-toe injury suffered in Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers has ended up being of the season-ending variety.
Tartt is an unrestricted free agent in 2021, and it doesn’t seem likely the cap-pressed Niners are going to make a strong effort to re-sign him this offseason.
So that essentially means the remaining seven games on San Francisco’s schedule provide the opportunity for Tartt’s backups to showcase their value, perhaps with the SF 49ers in future seasons or at least to the rest of the league looking for help in their own secondaries.
Here are four defensive backs who stand to benefit with Tartt being out of the picture for the rest of the season.
No. 4: SF 49ers Defensive Back Jared Mayden
There’s a strong chance fans have forgotten about former Alabama rookie defensive back Jared Mayden, who was plucked up by the Niners as an undrafted free agent last April.
Mayden, not running back JaMycal Hasty, was actually tabbed as San Francisco’s best UDFA addition last spring. And while he was largely overshadowed by his former Crimson Tide teammate, now-New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney, Mayden still had plenty of promise to warrant some pre-draft attention leading up to his falling through all seven rounds and into the undrafted ranks.
Mayden didn’t make the 49ers’ regular-season roster, rather being placed on the practice squad and was only elevated to the game-day roster in Week 7 against the New England Patriots where he saw action on 12 special teams snaps.
With the logjam ahead of him cleared up a bit, however, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Mayden much more regularly over the final half of the year, perhaps getting a bit more field time.
And potentially on the defensive side of the ball, too.
No. 3: SF 49ers Safety Johnathan Cyprien
One of the players standing to benefit from Jaquiski Tartt’s upcoming absence is actually an older veteran, Johnathan Cyprien.
Cyprien, a second-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars back in 2013, put together a productive career with the Jags and the Tennessee Titans before injuries thwarted his efforts, ultimately landing him to a one-year free-agent deal with San Francisco where he’s spent the bulk of his time on the practice squad.
The SF 49ers have called Cyprien up from time to time, however, and one figures Tartt’s departure to injured reserve will mean more field time for the former in the next seven games.
For starters, it’s likely Cyprien won’t spend any additional time on the practice squad, meaning more money. But with him being a free agent in 2021, there’s a good chance the Niners may consider him a short-term starter’s option to re-sign if he plays well enough over the final stretch of games.
Or, perhaps, Cyprien impresses enough to land his next gig elsewhere if San Francisco chooses to go in another direction with one of the next two players.
No. 2: SF 49ers Defensive Back Tarvarius Moore
It’s still a bit strange why the SF 49ers haven’t played third-year pro defensive back Tarvarius Moore on a more-frequent basis.
The 2018 third-round pick, who ran a blazing-fast 4.32 40-yard time at his pro day in 2018, has both speed and size on his side. While his early transition to cornerback didn’t exactly pan out with desired results, he’s still more than capable playing with the action in front of him as a safety.
Moore’s natural position in college was at free safety, which would initially indicate a less-than-great fit down closer in the box as a strong safety in the Niners’ Cover 3 scheme.
Last year, however, San Francisco made both safety spots much more interchangeable, meaning Moore should have a better shot at acclimating to a strong-side defensive back.
Plus, Moore’s 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame is much better suited for action closer to the line of scrimmage anyway, meaning he’d be available to split time against opponents’ tight ends and running backs without having to sacrifice his exceptional speed.
If the 49ers give him the chance, of course.
No. 1: SF 49ers Safety Marcell Harris
It’s pretty easy to figure out who the No. 1 beneficiary of Jaquiski Tartt’s injury is, as it’s the player who has primarily seen field time when the veteran has been out of action the last three years: third-year pro Marcell Harris.
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Harris started four games in 2019 and showed some problems with pass coverage. In 2020, though, it appears as if the former Florida Gator has shown some modest improvement in this area. He did, after all, beat out Johnathan Cyprien for the rights to back up Tartt as the No. 2 strong safety option.
That’s one easy reason why Harris’ stock value should be on the rise.
Another is pretty simple, too. Harris is under contract on his rookie deal — cheap for a former sixth-round draft pick — through next season, and the Niners wouldn’t have to shell out any additional funds to retain him next season. That won’t be the case for Cyprien, and San Francisco might want to keep Tarvarius Moore as an uber-reserve defensive back and big-nickel safety.
Should those combine to be the case, Harris is likely to get the bulk of field time in Tartt’s absence, making him the primary beneficiary for the rest of the season.
Unless he flounders with the opportunity or suffers his own injury.