49ers vs. Chiefs: 5 must-watch players in 2021 preseason opener

49ers Player to Watch No. 4: Safety Tavon Wilson

It’s not good news the Niners could potentially be without starting strong safety Jaquiski Tartt (toe) for an elongated period of time, yet it is good news San Francisco stockpiled the position during the offseason in a preemptive move to guard against a possible injury to him.

A number of safeties are in the mix to potentially start in place of Tartt by the time Week 1 rolls around. And in a sense, all of them should be players to watch.

Yet the player who seemingly has separated himself from the pack is veteran safety Tavon Wilson, who has received plenty of first-team reps during training camp amid Tartt’s absence. In that role, the journeyman 31 year old who has primarily been a special teams ace for much of his career could find himself occupying a vital role on defense.

Wilson has started 45 games over his career, so it’s not as if he’s new to the challenge. But given his placement with the first-stringers during practices in camp, there’s a strong chance he’ll be tasked with facing a good deal of Kansas City’s offensive starters.

That should make for a good challenge on Saturday.

How well Wilson responds to it should be a good indicator of whether or not he remains the top contender for first-team duties during the regular season.