49ers: 5 bottom-of-the-roster players to watch this preseason

49ers Player to Watch No. 2: Safety Tavon Wilson

While most of the aforementioned camp battles have developed somewhat out of nowhere, one position battle that nearly everyone understood would be vital is the bout for safety depth.

Namely at strong safety behind Jaquiski Tartt, who has landed on injured reserve in three of his last four seasons and is currently nursing his 2020 turf-toe injury.

The 49ers drafted one safety, Talanoa Hufanga, and added another former starting veteran, Tony Jefferson, into the mix to compete with Tartt and his other backup, Marcell Harris, between now and Week 1. But it’s been another low-key offseason addition who has made the most of his chances, Tavon Wilson.

Wilson, primarily a special teams ace for the bulk of his career, was another player called out by DeMeco Ryans in another press conference during the week:

"I think having Tavon in, Tavon has done a really good job. I mean, you can tell he’s a true pro, he’s a leader. I love his approach to every day. He attacks every day the right way, does a really awesome job of communicating out there with the guys, making sure guys are all on the same page. And he’s just been, he’s been great in there."

Right now, it’s looking as if Wilson would be the primary go-to player to support Tartt if the latter was to miss any more time with an injury, and Wilson’s role could ultimately be determined by how well he performs this preseason.