The San Francisco 49ers made a solid move on Tuesday to sign underrated veteran safety Ashtyn Davis. In the process, they kept him away from Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh, who may have had his eye on Davis.
From 2020 to 2024, Davis played for the New York Jets. Even though Davis was drafted by the regime that preceded Saleh in New York, the bulk of the time he played for the Jets was spent playing under Saleh, so the two certainly have a lot of familiarity with one another.
Davis played quite a bit for the Jets and had eight interceptions, three forced fumbles, and 175 combined tackles during his tenure with Gang Green. He was also a solid player on special teams. Saleh got to see all of his attributes up close, so the Niners were wise to swoop in and sign him before their two-time former defensive coordinator.
Not only does Davis have that Saleh connection, he also has a Mike McDaniel connection. Davis played with the Miami Dolphins last year under McDaniel and had a solid season, recording a career-high 65 tackles, forced one fumble, and had an interception.
If a player is liked by both Saleh and McDaniel, it’s pretty safe to assume that player will be liked by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Davis may not just be a depth piece for San Francisco, though. There’s a very real chance he could play a lot for the Niners this upcoming season. Safety is a position with a lot of question marks, so he has an opportunity to earn quite a bit of playing time.
The main three safeties the Niners currently have are Malik Mustapha, Ji’Ayir Brown, and Marques Sigle. San Francisco also has players like Darrick Forest and undrafted free agent Jalen Stroman in the mix, but given the experience Davis brings to the table, he could quickly climb up the depth chart.
Mustapha, Brown, and Sigle all played somewhat inconsistently last season. Mustapha seems like the player who has the strongest grip on a starting role, but if Brown falters or Davis simply outplays him, that would not come as a huge shock.
It was a bit surprising the 49ers didn't make a more meaningful addition at safety, either in free agency or the NFL Draft, but maybe Davis is a sneaky addition who will make a big impact and make Saleh regret the fact he let San Francisco snatch him.
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