The 49ers had a good battle going for the starting strong safety job. Veteran Tavon Wilson was holding down that spot, but rookie fifth-round pick Talanoa Hufanga was closing the gap. A new wrinkle was thrown into the mix Wednesday when incumbent starter Jaquiski Tartt came off the Physically Unable to Perform list.
Tartt hadn’t participated in camp yet while recovering from offseason toe surgery. Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated Tartt’s progress was slower than the team was hoping, but he was back in action Wednesday with a chance to play in Sunday’s preseason finale against the Raiders at Levi’s Stadium.
It’ll be interesting to see how the 49ers operate with their long-time safety. Tartt has played in 66 games with 50 starts across six seasons with the 49ers since they selected him in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. He re-signed with the club this offseason on a one-year deal and figured to slide right back into the starting role once Tarvarius Moore suffered an Achilles injury in OTAs.
Now that he’s missed most of camp though his return to the starting lineup becomes a bigger question mark. Tartt is probably the 49ers’ best player at that position, but his injury history isn’t promising. He’s played in just 36 games the last four years, and he’s missed four or more games in all of those seasons. Wilson meanwhile has done a nice job in his stead, and Hufanga has acquitted himself well in two preseason contests.
Their depth at the position isn’t great, so if Tartt is healthy and ready for the regular season he figures to have a roster spot nailed down. Tartt along with Wilson and Ward gives them a nice veteran group of safeties around the rookie Hufanga. Whether he slots right in as a starter remains to be seen, but he’ll certainly be a factor in the position battle down the stretch.
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