The San Francisco 49ers are dealing with yet another major injury blow.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed on Tuesday that All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga will be out for around a month with torn ligaments in his wrist. 

Hufanga left the 49ers' Week 5 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the first half with the injury. The 2021 fifth-round pick, who only returned from a torn ACL he suffered last November in the Week 3 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, missed the Week 4 win over the New England Patriots with an ankle issue.

His latest injury will see an extended opportunity handed to rookie safety Malik Mustapha, who has received increasing praise for his performances this season. 

The fourth-round pick out of Wake Forest did not allow a single reception on three targets against Arizona, per Pro Football Focus, though he was fortunate to see tight end Trey McBride drop a potential touchdown.

More impressively, Mustapha ranks third among safeties targeted at least five times in coverage in Expected Points Added allowed per target, per Sports Info Solutions.

The six targets thrown at Mustapha have averaged minus 1.31 EPA per play. It's a small sample size, but it is illustrative of the intriguing play he has produced to this point.

Asked about Mustapha's performance as a communicator at the safety position, Shanahan told a press conference:

"I think communication is one of the hardest things especially for a young guy coming in. I think he's been getting better at that," said Shanahan ahead of Thursday's clash with the Seattle Seahawks. 

"The more he's been out there, I think just his lack of hesitating. I think I saw that a little in preseason. Just some of the hits he had. Especially in that Tennessee game from what I remember. 

"When he's come in, he's done the same stuff. He gets faster each week just recognizing things and not breaking down and trying to run through his tackles."

Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen concurred with Shanahan's assessment.

"I think his strides have come just because he's played a lot," Sorensen said of Mustapha. 

"I mean, we've had a lot of guys play and I think it's good that guys gain knowledge through getting their snaps and for him it's just being comfortable being out there. 

"I think I've mentioned before, with safeties it's that comfort to communicate and the feel of the game and the flow of the game and how it moves and how you have to be a leader back there behind our backers that you can communicate across the board and be tied in. I think he's done a good job with that."

That communication with fellow safety Ji'Ayir Brown and the rest of the 49ers' secondary will need to be on point as San Francisco looks to recover from a 2-3 start. With Hufanga a free agent at the end of the season, he may struggle to get his job back if Mustapha continues to ascend and proves that he and Brown are capable of forming a viable long-term duo at the safety position.

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