The San Francisco 49ers were always going to play four safeties in some capacity against the San Francisco 49ers. Malik Mustapha will make his season debut. We know Mustapha is the starter. Now, whether he starts in a road game against a playoff team after his first week of practice back from a torn ACL is another story.
Marques Sigle is a rookie. Jason Pinnock was brought over as a player who could help on special teams, occasionally rush the passer, and temporarily fill in for Mustapha while he recovered. Then there’s Ji’Ayir Brown, who started last year but was the odd man out to start the season.
Brown’s playing time has fluctuated all season. He’s played as few as two snaps and as many as 24. According to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, Brown will see an increase in workload in Week 6:
The 49ers are expected to alter their starting lineup, as safety Ji’Ayir Brown is scheduled for increased playing time, a source told NBC Sports Bay Area.
Brown is likely to start alongside rookie safety Marques Sigle against the Buccaneers, the source said.
Mustapha likely will be mixed into the action on defense, as the 49ers on Saturday moved him to their 53-man roster. He spent the first five weeks of the season on the physically unable to perform list. Mustapha is returning to action after undergoing surgery in January to repair a detached graft from a previous ACL surgery in his right knee.
Veteran safety Jason Pinnock, who started the first five games of the season, will see a reduction in playing time. Pinnock still could see action in certain defensive packages.
This move may infuriate 49ers fans, but Pinnock has arguably been the bigger liability than Sigle through five games. It may not reflect so in the box score, but Pinnock has had several busted coverages, but the opposition didn’t make the defense pay.
Does Saleh trust Brown more now that he can deploy Mustapha? Their skill sets complement each other. Brown is aware in coverage and won’t make the same mental mistakes Pinnock has. Or, is this simply a move that needs to be made because Sigle is a better run defender and Pinnock isn’t bringing anything to the table? Pinnock will still play, but that may come on obvious passing downs near the line of scrimmage as a pass rusher.
Brown has earned a bigger role with his play this season. Sigle has been in the right place, and if he had played the ball on half of his targets, he’d have a couple of interceptions. You can’t take him off the field. Mustapha fits any scheme; it’s just a matter of how quickly he gets comfortable.
We’ll see how the rotation works, but Saleh saw enough to make a change against an offense that throws the ball down the field more than any other team in the NFL. That tells us where he believes Pinnock is susceptible.
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