A lot is going right for the San Francisco 49ers, who are sitting pretty with a two-game lead atop the NFC West following their Thanksgiving night blowout of the Seattle Seahawks.
But the Niners' 31-13 win in Seattle did have one sour note, which was a season-ending injury to safety George Odum, a special teams stud who suffered a torn biceps muscle in the victory.
It marked the second straight game in which the 49ers have lost a safety for the season. Talanoa Hufanga suffered a torn ACL in the Week 11 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, catapulting rookie Ji'Ayir Brown into the starting lineup.
Odum's injury leaves the 49ers with only two healthy safeties on the depth chart. They already needed to make a move there following the blow to Hufanga, and the need to add depth behind Brown and veteran Tashaun Gipson has only increased with the loss of Odum.
49ers hand forced
"We're going to have to do something. We're going to have to do something anyways as it was," head coach Kyle Shanahan said in his post-game press conference.
"To lose George, he's been unbelievable. He's been one of the best special teams players in the league here. He's a very good safety for us, too. We've been thin there with the depth. Losing him is a big deal. See what our options are here when we get in."
The 49ers have Tayler Hawkins on the practice squad, but they also have another option on the open market who is extremely familiar to them.
A chance to right a wrong?
Tarvarius Moore, a third-round pick of the 49ers in 2018, is a free agent after being released by the Green Bay Packers back in September.
Moore had a workout with the 49ers last month but was not signed by the team. The urgency of the situation and Moore's familiarity with a defense that hasn't undergone any huge philosophical changes with Steve Wilks as coordinator could prompt San Francisco to give him another chance.
San Francisco will likely still want to add another player at the position who could theoretically help replace some of Odum's special teams impact but, from a purely defensive perspective, Moore figures to be a standout candidate as a player who can step in and provide insurance to Gipson and Brown.
Moore made 13 starts for San Francisco in four seasons with he 49ers. He missed the entire 2021 campaign with a ruptured Achilles tendon. His first spell with the team is best remembered for his interception in Super Bowl LIV, a pick that looked like it would clinch victory for the 49ers leading 20-10 in the fourth quarter. It of course proved a false dawn as the Kansas City Chiefs fought back to win 31-20.
With the 49ers looking an increasingly strong bet to reach the Super Bowl this season after improving to 8-3, Moore getting a shot to go one better than he and the Niners did in 2019 is not out of the question.
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