Ji'Ayir Brown is entering his second NFL season after gaining valuable snaps and playoff experience as a rookie. The safety believes this experience will make him a better player in Year 2.
"As a rookie, you're still trying to get things down, still trying to do your job in the defense and just not mess up," Brown said this week during an interview on Bay Area radio station KNBR. "As a second-year guy, you're trying to be more advanced, communicate, talk throughout the play, make sure the guys around you are comfortable.
"My leadership skills in the second year, my approach to being a leader is a lot different than sitting back and letting [LB] Fred [Warner] do most of the work. I'm trying to be that second leader on the defense and command the back end while Fred commands front seven."
Brown expects to be paired with Talanoa Hufanga this season once the All-Pro safety fully recovers from the torn ACL he suffered last year. San Francisco also added safety Malik Mustapha in the draft.
The team may boast its best group of cornerbacks in years, featuring Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, newcomer Isaac Yiadom, rookie Renardo Green, and Samuel Womack.
How good can the 49ers' secondary be in 2024? Brown believes it can be among the best in the NFL.
"We can be great," Brown declared. "I think we can be one of the best secondaries to come through here, honestly. Renardo Green come in, and his man coverage is outstanding. His ability to pick up concepts. Mustapha, the same way—his ability to pick up concepts, that ability to pick up the play.
"These guys learned the plays as soon as they came from rookie minicamp. They had this thing. Like, they going. So, the sky's the limit for the secondary. It's all about how much work we put in, the little details we follow, and executing down the stretch."
Linebacker Fred Warner, who joined the interview, agreed with Brown's assessment and also believes this year's 49ers secondary can be special.
"I'm really excited about the group, honestly," Warner said. "You talk about young guys who are hungry and motivated to be the best group in the country, in the world, really.
"And Tig (Brown), coming into his second year, being a guy who's a vocal leader in the back end, as a young guy, rangy, can get in there, get his nose dirty in the run game, Mr. Do It All on the outside. Lockdown corners and a bunch of other guys who are trying to compete in nickel spots. So I'm really excited about the group."