49ers: 4 players who could be cut before playing a snap in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers Safety Tavon Wilson
Over the last two years, San Francisco has struggled with its pass coverage in the wake of multiple injuries suffered by its starting strong safety, Jaquiski Tartt, thereby forcing both Tarvarius Moore and Marcell Harris into more prominent roles.
And not with the best of results.
So it made some sense the 49ers inked veteran safety Tavon Wilson, formerly of the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts, to a one-year deal, as Wilson’s pass-coverage abilities (albeit in a limited, reserve basis) were notably better than those of Moore and Harris.
Wilson could potentially push at least one of those two other reserves off the 53-man roster, yet those chances diminished significantly with the fifth-round NFL Draft addition of USC safety Talanoa Hufanga, who looks to be a solid backup playmaker with some ballhawk tendencies.
If that wasn’t threatening enough, the Niners recently inking former Baltimore Ravens veteran safety Tony Jefferson further pushes Wilson down the pecking order of the safety depth chart.
Read More: 49ers guard against injury by signing Tony Jefferson
Maybe Jefferson isn’t totally recovered from his 2019 ACL tear. It’s also possible Hufanga flames out because, well, he’s a rookie.
Still, Wilson is going to have to beat out two, perhaps even three of the other four backups listed here, which is a pretty tall order.