49ers bring up veteran safety net as part of practice squad elevations with All-Pro doubtful for Week 1
The positions the San Francisco 49ers would beef up with practice squad elevations were telegraphed on Saturday. San Francisco listed All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga as doubtful and ruled out defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos for Monday's season opener with the New York Jets. Following those moves, the 49ers unsurprisingly activated a safety and a defensive end from […]
The positions the San Francisco 49ers would beef up with practice squad elevations were telegraphed on Saturday.
San Francisco listed All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga as doubtful and ruled out defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos for Monday's season opener with the New York Jets.
Following those moves, the 49ers unsurprisingly activated a safety and a defensive end from the practice squad to fill the void left by that pair.
Tracy Walker III will give the 49ers extra veteran insurance at safety in Hufanga's absence, which will see one of George Odum or rookie Malik Mustapha start next to Ji'Ayir Brown.
The 49ers also promoted defensive end Sam Okuayinonu to take the spot vacated by Gross-Matos.
In addition, the 49ers have activated All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams in a procedural move after the end of his holdout last week. The 49ers were given a roster exemption for Williams, who agreed to a reworked contract last Tuesday having failed to report for training camp. In a corresponding move, veteran tackle Brandon Parker was released.
Walker failed to make the 49ers' initial 53-man roster but the former Detroit Lions defender was soon brought back to the practice squad with a view to him serving as a safety net given the uncertainty around Hufanga being available for the opener.
Okuyainonu did make the initial cut, only to then be let go as the 49ers performed some roster gymnastics to bring back several veterans.
After clearing waivers, Okuayinonu was re-signed to the practice squad, with the 49ers keen to see if they can consistently harness the explosiveness he flashed during the preseason.
He may get the opportunity to repay the 49ers' faith in him in Week 1, though the Niners will still predominantly lean on their starting edge rush duo of Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd as they look to stymie Aaron Rodgers on his long-awaited return from injury.
What to watch for when the 49ers host the Jets in their primetime opener to the 2024 season
It’s going to be a huge challenge.
