For the second season in a row, the San Francisco 49ers started a player in the biggest game of the season that they signed off the street after the preseason.
Last year, Jimmie Ward missed the first four games, and Tashaun Gipson stepped in and performed well enough that he never relinquished his starting spot. Talanoa Hufanga’s injury led to rookie third-rounder Ji’Ayir Brown starting this year. Then, once Brown went down, veteran Logan Ryan took over. Ryan began to at nickel in the Super Bowl.
In a perfect world, Hufanga and Brown are making plays at safety for the Niners for the foreseeable future.