Tarvarius Moore missed all last season after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon during a June practice. His long road to recovery is nearly complete, and the San Francisco 49ers safety is already getting "2019 vibes" from the defense.
That 2019 defense was exceptional, helping lift the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance. Could another championship run be on the horizon? Once again, most expect San Francisco to boast one of the best defensive fronts in football, and that has players like Moore confident as they head into the 2022 season.
"It definitely gives me a lot of similarities to 2019, just how we're getting to the quarterback," Moore explained to reporters after Friday's practice. "Everybody playing assignment football and just doing their job, and then we see the results each and every day. We had a day where we had a lot of sacks, a lot of turnovers, TFLs (tackles for a loss), stuff like that, so it just really gives me that 2019 vibe. And I just hope we continue to grow and just continue to go forward."
Moore felt good heading into training camp and has his sights set on a strong 2022 campaign. He rejoins a secondary with a lot of young talent and competition. That is motiviating the fifth-year safety.
"The key word is 'motivating' because we've got a lot of young guys with a lot of talent," Moore shared. "Sam (Samuel Womack), D-Mo (Deommodore Lenoir), Ambry (Thomas), all those young guys who was rookies last year, they're just getting better and better. It definitely pushes us veteran guys to lock in and just try to help them along the way as well.
"Just the talent level that we have on the back end just gives us extra confidence that if something does happen, we can easily put one of those guys in, and we can just keep pushing."
One player who has garnered consistent praise during training camp is wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk's efforts haven't gone unnoticed by the safety.
"B.A. is having a great camp," Moore shared. "I tell him that every single day. I tell him that he just needs to keep going how he's going, keep progressing, and he can definitely be at a Pro Bowl level. I see that in him. I see his confidence just rising each and every day, really almost with each and every catch. His confidence level is just going through the roof, and having a guy like that, going against him every single day, that competition, it's just iron sharpens iron. [It] makes us better."