49ers Newcomers Having Rough Start to Offseason Workouts

The San Francisco 49ers are facing some concerns with the depth of their secondary. Losing starting safety Talanoa Hufanga in free agency and dealing with multiple injuries to projected starters adds a lot of uncertainty to the group entering mandatory minicamp.

Malik Mustapha and Ji'Ayir Brown are expected to be regular starters this season, but they are each missing crucial practice time this offseason with knee and ankle injuries. Mustapha will likely miss a chunk of the early season, while Brown will be lucky if he returns right around training camp.

Earlier this offseason, San Francisco filled out there room in free agency by signing Jason Pinnock and Richie Grant to help alleviate this worry. There now is an opportunity for each of them to step up and get first-team reps to try to prove their worth and maybe steal a starting spot.

At this stage in the offseason, we can classify these two as "important" pieces with their performance being the only barometers to judge the 49ers' defensive backfield at the moment.

Unfortunately, the newcomers have had rough start to team workouts.

Pinnock, in particular, was listed as one of the "bad" takeaways from 49ers practice the last couple weeks.

"[Pinnock] started next to Richie Grant, and the two of them gave up multiple deep catches down the middle -- one to Jordan Watkins and one to Brayden Willis," SI writes.

"If these two start Week 1, the 49ers will have the worst starting safeties in the NFL."

Pinnock comes to the Bay Area after being an every-game starter for the New York Giants over the last two seasons. His 2023 performance was slightly more productive stat wise, but he stayed consistent tackling with 85 each season.

Last year, the former fifth-rounder in 2021 gave up a career-high four touchdown catches and was dealt an ugly 45.5 coverage grade by Pro Football Focus. That ranked 145th out of 171 qualified defensive backs in the NFL.

This history, paired with a sluggish start to the offseason program, could bode poorly for the 25-year-olds chances at contributing long-term in San Francisco.

But at least for the short-term, the 49ers have nobody else to turn to in the secondary.

The timely recoveries for Mustapha and Brown - or the drastic improvements made by Grant and Pinnock - could have a defining impact on the success of San Francisco's pass defense this season.