49ers roster: 5 players who quietly overperformed in 2022
By Peter Panacy
Overperforming 49ers player No. 2: Safety Tashaun Gipson
You’d be forgiven if you weren’t familiar with veteran safety Tashaun Gipson entering 2021. After all, the Niners literally signed him off the street to help make up for the fact that starting free safety Jimmie Ward would miss the first few weeks of the regular season with an injury.
Gipson, however, hasn’t given the free safety job back.
It might be a good thing, as San Francisco has a need at nickel cornerback, and Ward has filled in admirably enough there.
However, Gipson’s work atop the 49ers defense and alongside second-year strong safety Talanoa Hufanga has been exemplary.
Read More: Where is the weak link in the Niners’ defense? Is there one?
To date, Gipson is also up there in the tackles department with 55, but he also has two interceptions, five passes broken up and is allowing opposing quarterbacks a 78.3 passer rating when targeting him in coverage.
Awfully good stats for a player who was merely an emergency addition to the defense.