Former NFL safety Donte Whitner has been openly critical of San Francisco 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown throughout the offseason.

"You f--king know that you played like s--t last year," Whitner said in May.


Brown earned career-low Pro Football Focus grades in 2025, posting a 63.6 defensive grade and a 58.5 coverage grade. He finished the season with 76 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions, six passes defensed, and one forced fumble while appearing in all 17 games, including 13 starts.

Now, with 49ers veterans set to report to training camp this weekend, Brown's starting role appears far from secure. Whitner believes the young safety will have only a brief window to prove he deserves to keep his job.

"Has Ji'Ayir Brown shown enough to keep his starting job, or is it time to give one of the other safeties an opportunity?" Whitner asked on The Grit Code podcast.


Although Brown has valuable experience—49 games played and 31 starts over three NFL seasons—Whitner doesn't believe that alone should make him the favorite to land a spot in the 49ers' starting lineup.

"Experience should matter, but in this case, I don't think it does," Whitner said. "And they clearly have a weakness at safety, and that's where a lot of the teams and offenses are going to attack.


"I think that he has 10 days from reporting to camp to really flash on the defense, to show his improvements before they start to rotate him with Ashtyn Davis and Marques Sigle, and it's an open competition."

The 49ers selected Brown in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He now enters a pivotal fourth season—and the final year of his rookie contract. A strong 2026 campaign could solidify his future with the team, while another disappointing season may leave the 49ers looking elsewhere.

If Brown struggles early in training camp, Whitner believes the coaching staff won't hesitate to make a change.

"I think that he must show significant progress that first week in camp," Whitner continued, "leading into that first preseason game, where he has eye discipline, where his tackling consistency must improve, pursuit angles, range, communication, route recognition, and show that he is the quarterback of the defense, or quickly, Marques Sigle or Ashtyn Davis will be inserted into the lineup."

H/t to Oliver G. of Niners Wire for the find.

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