Ji'Ayir Brown's rookie season with the San Francisco 49ers didn't start as he had hoped, with most of his contributions coming on special teams. That changed in Week 11 when starter Talanoa Hufanga suffered a season-ending ACL injury. Brown stepped in, playing all defensive snaps over the next five games and contributing in two playoff appearances, proving he could be an impact player.
Brown has worked hard this offseason to ensure he makes strides in his second NFL season. On Thursday, the safety reflected on his growth, comparing his mindset heading into the preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans with how he felt before his first preseason game last year.
"Yeah, I was a lot more nervous back then," Brown admitted. "I'm a lot more comfortable now. I'm more settled. I'm looking at different things, approaching different things when I'm going into the game. So just trying to sharpen my tools [compared to] last year, where I was trying to find out who I was."
Brown noted that it took him some time last season to feel completely comfortable on the field, revealing that it didn't happen until the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions.
"I felt like everything was starting to [click]," Brown said. "I was settling, I was making plays, everything was making sense."
Brown believes his play recognition has vastly improved since his rookie year, when he encountered unfamiliar concepts. With part of a season under his belt, he feels more confident in recognizing what opposing offenses are doing.
"Now, I'm starting to recognize those formations and recognize those players that's in certain positions that only may run one or two routes in the route tree," Brown explained. "And I'm starting to break that down, and it's allowing me to take my process of elimination way faster than it was last year."
Brown is expected to line up next to Hufanga in Week 1, assuming the recovering safety is healthy. The 49ers plan to evaluate Hufanga's status next week when they travel to Southern California for joint practices with the New Orleans Saints to see if he is ready to return to the practice field.
"I'm waiting for my guy to get back," Brown shared. "We've been talking on the sideline, and he's been in the meeting room, writing down notes, telling me what he sees and everything. I can't wait until he gets back and see how this thing is going to look."
