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49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga stole the show last year when he stepped in as a full-time starter for the first time and wound up earning a First-Team All-Pro nod. Despite a breakout sophomore campaign for Hufanga, it was free safety Tashaun Gipson who got the shine in a post from Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar highlighting the top 11 safeties in the NFL. Gipson’s strong 2023 campaign landed him at No. 9 on Farrar’s list.
The path to a roster spot for Gipson was full of hurdles. He signed on as a camp body just a few days before the 49ers’ preseason finale. His performance in that final preseason game against the Texans was eye-opening, but not enough for him to make the initial 53-man roster. A couple injuries opened a roster spot for Gipson by the season opener though and he held down the starting job all year.
Gipson responded with the best season of his pro career. Via Farrar:
Last season, Gipson allowed 19 catches on 32 targets for 315 yards, 86 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, five interceptions, three pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 53.0.
The 49ers opted to re-sign Gipson on a one-year deal for the 2023 season in hopes he’ll repeat what he did in 2022.
Hufanga could eventually end up making his way into a top 11 list, but he has to clean up a couple areas of his game. His downhill playmaking and knack for being around the football are the two keys for his success. However, he can get over-aggressive and leave receivers open down the field after he vacates his area trying to make a play. Such missteps led to some long completions that might not have been available had Hufanga stayed home.
San Francisco will run it back in 2023 with the same starting safeties, but now rookie Ji’Ayir Brown will be in the mix. If Gipson struggles to match his production from last season, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Brown pushed into a bigger role.
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