San Francisco 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga is aiming for a Week 1 return. The talented member of the Niner defense continues to rehab from a season-ending ACL injury. The fourth-year player out of USC went down in Week 11 of the 2023 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Hufanga was drafted in the fifth round by San Francisco in 2021. He played mostly on special teams at the start before working his way into the defense late in his rookie season.
Hufanga then became an All-Pro his second season and was playing at a high level again last year before getting hurt. He amassed three interceptions and 52 tackles for San Francisco in 2023.
“The goal is to be ready for Week 1,” Talanoa Hufanga said Wednesday. “The goal is to be in training camp, not the very beginning, but to ramp me up correctly…Try to be smart with it, we’ve had plenty of conversations with training staff and putting me in the best possible situation succeed for myself.”
Hufanga and the 49ers have been knocking on the door, almost winning a Super Bowl last season but falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime.
“We came up short, but our goal this year is to come back with a chip on our shoulder and win the big one,” Hufanga said.
Talanoa Hufanga provided an update on his rehab and his goal to be ready for Week 1 💪 pic.twitter.com/vOed730Bfw
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) June 5, 2024
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