Unlike last offseason, the San Francisco 49ers have been notably active on the free-agent market to kick off 2026, higlighted by the marquee pickup of future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans and shored up by several likable pickups along the way.
Additionally, the trade with the Dallas Cowboys for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa should beef up the defensive line, a key position of need.
Yet there's another spot on the roster that hasn't received much attention, and it could become quite the issue if general manager John Lynch continues to ignore it.
Free safety.
Granted, new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris has likely been in Lynch's ear with ideas about what kind of player he wants. But, in light of the Niners losing a regular piece of their secondary via free agency to the New York Giants, Jason Pinnock, the safety depth is even thinner than it was to close out 2025.
And it's not as if the options there offered plenty of strength or flexibility.
49ers need to solve glaring void at free safety
San Francisco has two starting-caliber safeties on its roster: Ji'Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapaha. But, both are more traditional in-the-box safeties and are better at making plays closer to the line of scrimmage than out in coverage deep down the field.
Plus, neither Brown nor Mustapha flashed much consistency last year, suggesting it might be prudent for the 49ers to consider upgrades over both players.
And that doesn't solve the free safety issue either.
Morris likely won't operate a Cover 3 single-high safety scheme, which makes his two safeties a bit more interchangeable. Yet that doesn't eliminate the need for a rangy option down the field. Perhaps the Niners are eyeing second-year pro Marques Sigle in that stead after he flashed some promise in year one but ultimately fell out of favor, thanks to prototypical rookie mistakes.
With the free-agent market drying up, though, San Francisco's options are becoming more and more limited.
Lynch and Co. may have to turn to the draft, burning one of their earlier picks on a plug-and-play safety (always hard to find) or trust that Sigle has taken the next step.
Otherwise, this spot on the field could end up being a massive liability for a defense that has otherwise taken plenty of positive steps this offseason.