San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan channeled his inner Bill Belichick at the podium on Wednesday. When asked if the team had decided who would start at safety, Shanahan said, “Yes,” and that was the extent of his answer. The room erupted in laughter.
Veteran free agent Jason Pinnock started in the first preseason game alongside rookie Marques Sigle. Ji’Ayir Brown did not play in that game as he had missed training camp practices due to a nagging ankle injury that plagued him during minicamp.
In Pinnock’s 11 snaps, eight were in the box and three were deep at free safety. Pinnock didn’t play another snap in August. Conversely, the rookie Sigle rarely came off the field. Of Sigle’s 99 defensive snaps in the preseason, 57 of those came in the box, 25 at free safety, and 17 at nickel. The Niners wanted to get a good look at Sigle at multiple positions, and they did.
Brown played in the following two preseason games, playing a total of 65 snaps. Twenty-eight of those came at free safety, and 29 in the box. So, based on alignment, the 49ers prefer Tig to patrol the deep portion of the field over Pinnock and Sigle.
Shanahan spoke about where Brown is in his development. It sounds like the team wants to see more of what they saw from Brown during his rookie year:
“I love Ji’Ayir. He got his opportunity when [Denver Broncos S Talanoa Hufanga] Huff got hurt, and he came in I want to say it was seven games his rookie year after Huff got hurt, and I thought had a hell of a year. I thought he battled a lot of stuff last year with injuries and he battled a lot of stuff in this offseason too and then had a setback in training camp where he missed some time. But the more Tig is out there, the better he gets, the more consistent he gets. But it’s just been up and down with injuries.”
While Sigle played multiple spots during the preseason, I’d argue that there wasn’t nearly enough on his plate to decide whether he’s ready to be a Day 1 starter. There were flashes, but you could also see Sigle thinking instead of playing.
There are a few plays that stand out from Sigle’s preseason. There was one when he saw the play unfold in front of him. A month from now, he trusts his instincts and makes a big hit to either break up the pass or beat the receiver to the spot, and comes up with the interception. Instead, Sigle was a tick slow, and that led to a completion over the middle.
That play happened in zone coverage. At Kansas State, in my opinion, man coverage was where Sigle struggled the most. In August, Sigle allowed five of the six times he was targeted to be completed, including a 25-yarder and a touchdown for a passer rating of 146.5. He also had a missed tackle that was nullified due to a penalty.
That’s not to minimize what Sigle is or who he can become. He was the 162nd pick in the draft. It’d be bizarre if he weren’t making mistakes. His play speed is impressive. He was consistent at tackling in the open field — one area where Tig continued to struggle in the preseason — and got better as a run defender the more he played. Who would have thought? Rookie improves the more he plays.
Assuming the depth chart is accurate, Upton Stout is the starter at nickel. Would Robert Saleh start a pair of rookies in the secondary? In Week 10, maybe. But in Week 1, you’re asking for a headache and a coverage bust. You would also be forced into running more vanilla coverages and schemes with multiple rookies in the secondary.
That’s why we can conclude Jason Pinnock will start. Malik Mustapha is on the PUP list, which means Sigle or Brown will line up with Pinnock at safety. I know most fans are out on No. 27, but I still believe Brown can be a quality starter in this league. He’s had three different defensive coordinators in three years. I’d let him fail with Saleh before pulling the plug.
Shanahan didn’t think naming a starter would give Seattle a “huge” advantage, but he acknowledged it could be a slight advantage for his opponents. He didn’t want to give any advantage, so he remained mum on the topic.
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