49ers vs. Vikings preseason: Niners who desperately need a bounce-back game

49ers bounce-back player No. 2: Safety Tarvarius Moore

Slightly more towards the fringes of the roster but still not massively in danger, safety Tarvarius Moore also had himself a shaky return to NFL action after missing all of 2021 with an Achilles tear.

Moore surrendered a Packers touchdown to wide receiver Romeo Doubs and didn’t look good in the process, also missing a tackle and looking every bit as rusty on the field as Justin Skule was.

Now, the 49ers still probably view Moore as a big-nickel defensive back who can step in as a third safety with Jimmie Ward higher atop the defense and Talanoa Hufanga serving down low and closer towards the line of scrimmage.

However, Ward is likely to miss some time with a hamstring injury suffered in practice before the Niners traveled to scrimmage with the Vikings, which means Moore will probably finish out the rest of the preseason as San Francisco’s primary free safety.

That’s a great opportunity for him, but it also opens up the possibility of being exposed for whatever weaknesses were on display versus Green Bay.

Kyle Shanahan hinted at possibly bringing in some free-agent safety help to help alleviate Ward’s injury.

And while any new face likely won’t threaten Moore’s spot on the depth chart directly, another poor performance against Minnesota might convince the 49ers to explore more contingency options.