Could the 49ers see a shakeup at safety this offseason?

The San Francisco 49ers didn’t have the best results from their safety room last offseason, as they rotated between Ji’Ayir Brown, Malik Mustapha, and rookie Marques Sigle.

Many expected a step up from the young group, but the 49ers had inconsistent results in the secondary that led to questions this offseason. A part of that could’ve been from the lack of pass rush, which San Francisco is hoping for, as they didn’t make many major changes in the backend this offseason.

But, there were a few smaller signings, including the ones of Nate Hobbs (one year, $3.5 million deal), Ashtyn Davis (one year, $1.8 million), and Jack Jones (1 year, $1.2 million).

Hobbs seems likely to make the roster, as $3.11 million of the $3.5 million he’s receiving is fully guaranteed at signing. Davis and Jones, on the other hand, don’t have much guaranteed money on their smaller deals, so a spot isn’t guaranteed for them this offseason.

Still, that didn’t keep Donte Whitner from believing that Davis could push Ji’Ayir Brown for his starting job this offseason.

“I don’t think this move was made for him to be a backup,” Whitner said of the Davis signing on his podcast. “He’s coming to this team to compete for a starting job.

“I think this was a move to Ji’Ayir Brown and said, ‘We gave you two years as a starter.’ In this third year, we cannot allow you to be a detriment to our success, and if you start the season the way that you ended last season, we have a bunch of other guys in this locker room that we will replace you with.'”

Davis was a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the New York Jets and spent five seasons with them before playing with the Miami Dolphins in 2025.

He was a full-time starter for the second time in his six-year career last season, making 12 starts in 15 games, while playing 75 percent of the defensive snaps. Overall, he had 65 tackles, four pass breakups, a forced fumble, and an interception, while allowing a passer rating of 121.8, per Pro Football Reference.

San Francisco does have an open spot at safety if they choose to carry four on the 53-man roster this season. Currently, their room consists of Brown, Malik Mustapha, Marques Sigle, Davis, undrafted rookie Jalen Stroman, and third-year pro Patrick McMorris.

Davis also has a ton of special teams experience, playing a significant role there in each of the last four seasons. So, that could be another reason to use a roster spot on him, aside from his manageable contract and experience.

Despite the inconsistent results, San Francisco has been quite confident in Brown, who played in 74 percent of the defensive snaps in 2026 after seeing 83 percent of the defensive snaps in 2025. Perhaps the improvements up front will help the 49ers defense at safety, but there very well could be a competition in the room brewing this offseason.