The San Francisco 49ers were far more active in obtaining talent in the opening phase of the 2026 offseason than they were a year ago, adding marquee players via free agency and trades.
Highlighting those efforts, of course, were the pickups of wide receiver Mike Evans and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, while plenty of supplementary moves kept general manager John Lynch busy in his attempts to restock the roster within the NFC West's budding arms race.
Yet Lynch and the Niners remained notably quiet in addressing the very back end of the defense; the only transaction was losing veteran safety Jason Pinnock to the New York Giants.
And that's something concerning to former San Francisco cornerback, turned Amazon Prime analyst and podcaster, Richard Sherman.
According to Sherman, finding help at safety between now and training camp is the 49ers' top remaining priority.
Richard Sherman is adamant 49ers need to address safety now
When asked what the Niners needed to do after the first wave of free agency, Sherman didn't mince words.
"Safety, safety, safety, safety first," Sherman said, via @CoachYac on X. "You've got to find a veteran safety who plays good football. Kevin Byard would have been fantastic. We didn’t get him. I think a veteran safety is something that you have to find a way to get."
Indeed, Byard would have been an excellent pickup for San Francisco, but the New England Patriots ultimately jumped in and signed him.
"It gives me hesitation to start back up without any competition at the safety spot," Sherman continued. "If you just go in there and start Malik Mustapha and Ji'Ayir Brown, it’s fine because at times, Ji'Ayir and Malik played good football, but there were times they did not play good football and it left the defense in a bad position."
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Sherman reiterated what many a 49ers fan noticed over the course of 2025: Brown and Mustapha had their moments, but both players were far too inconsistent to be considered viable starters going forward.
And, unless the Niners are seeing a major leap from 2025 rookie Marques Sigle, who saw a greatly reduced role after his first few weeks at the pro level, Lynch's defensive roster could be in serious trouble.
Sherman clearly doesn't want San Francisco to overlook the problem.