It was glaringly evident that the San Francisco 49ers were noticeably light on safeties when the initial 53-player roster was revealed on Saturday afternoon. The team parted ways with Adrian Colbert, Antone Exum, Marcell Harris, and Tyree Robinson. Some of those names are a surprise while others aren't.

The only remaining safeties are Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt, and Tarvarius Moore. Both Ward and Tartt ended each of the past two seasons on injured reserve. Moore played cornerback during his 2018 rookie campaign.


The numbers and past health issues are enough to concern fans, but it's unlikely the 49ers kick off Week 1 with just three safeties on the roster.

"Yeah, this is the 53 that oftentimes is fluid, sometimes for 24 hours, sometimes for the first week," general manager John Lynch said via a conference call on Saturday afternoon.

While the 49ers will likely add some help, Lynch did note that there are versatile players in the defensive backs room.

"I will tell you, Matt (Barrows of The Athletic), that some guys like D.J. Reed, we have a lot of versatility in our defensive backfield, whether it's guys like Tarvarius or Jimmie, are playing safety that can play corner. Or guys like D.J. Reed playing corner that have some safety flex. That gives us some flexibility.

"But yeah, I don't think that's unreasonable to expect that we may be making a move to bolster that safety unit."


The 49ers were expected to address the safety position in free agency or the draft. That didn't happen. Expect Lynch and company to make a move before Week 1.

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