Fred Warner’s interception of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was a great individual play, but it didn’t happen without the help of strong safety Jaquiski Tartt, who alerted the linebacker of the route coming from Giants tight end Evan Engram. The recognition from Tartt was a good reminder that value doesn’t solely lie in a player’s physical capabilities. It’s also a reminder that Tartt is one of the NFL’s best safeties according to defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
Saleh in a video conference following Thursday’s practice talked about Tartt’s high football IQ and the impact it has on the 49ers’ entire defense.
“When his mind is triggering and his body is moving, he’s at the top of his game. He’s one of the better safeties in football,” Saleh said. “What you don’t see with regards to him talking to his teammates, getting people lined up, directing traffic in the backend, getting the corners where they need to be, getting Jimmie Ward where he needs to be, the disguises that he’s able to create while still being able to do his job, those are things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. And you really don’t have an appreciation for it when you’re watching the game, but he’s a problem with regards to the way he plays the game and the way he presents the defense with regard to disguise. He is a very, very valuable piece of the defense. Obviously, they all are, but his communication skills can be unnoticed, but it’s not unnoticed here for sure.”
To further Saleh’s point, Tartt missed the final four games of last season for San Francisco dealing with a rib injury. The 49ers defense prior to his injury was allowing 15.3 points and 134.3 passing yards per game. After his injury those numbers jumped to 31.2 points and 274 passing yards per game.
Tartt is a free agent this offseason, and his play over the last couple seasons should make him a coveted player on the open market. While there’s talk of all the 49ers corners becoming free agents after this year, Tartt may be the defensive back Saleh and the team don’t want to lose.
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