The San Francisco 49ers have officially signed Pro Bowl safety Tashaun Gipson. The Niners worked out the safety this past Thursday. Safety Jimmie Ward recently suffered a hamstring injury that has put his Week 1 availability into question.
"It was a pretty bad hamstring injury ... so we'll see over the next couple of weeks how it plays out," head coach Kyle Shanahan said last week.
ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first to report Gipson's signing earlier today. The safety appeared on the practice field wearing No. 31.
49ers are signing veteran safety Tashaun Gipson, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 22, 2022
San Francisco also announced that wide receiver Austin Mack has been waived/injured. If he clears waivers, he will revert back to the 49ers, landing on injured reserve. Mack originally signed to the team's practice squad on December 6, 2021, then signed a reserve/future contract with the team on January 31.
The Cleveland Browns signed Gipson (6-1, 207) as an undrafted free agent out of Wyoming in 2012. He registered 47 tackles, a tackle for a loss, a quarterback hit, a sack, three passes defensed, and two interceptions through 12 starts with the Chicago Bears last season, per Pro Football Reference.
Gipson, 32, has recorded 563 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, five quarterback hits, a sack, 57 passes defensed, 27 interceptions, three touchdowns, and a forced fumble in 140 game appearances (132 starts) through his 10 NFL seasons with the Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, and Bears. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2014.