The San Francisco 49ers opened Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins with Ji'Ayir Brown and Marques Sigle as their starting safeties. Malik Mustapha replaced Brown late in the game after the 49ers had built a very comfortable lead.

Mustapha played just three defensive snaps while also contributing on special teams. However, that does not necessarily mean the former fourth-round pick will remain a backup.


Head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters via conference call Monday afternoon, one day after the 49ers beat the Dolphins 35-13. He suggested the starting safety roles remain fluid and that Mustapha could see more playing time moving forward.

At the same time, Shanahan is pleased with how Brown and Sigle have performed and isn't taking anything away from the current starters.

"I think they've been doing great," Shanahan said. "I mean, it was just unfortunate for Malik that he missed all of training camp, and he didn't get healthy until we were down in Australia."

Mustapha, who started 22 games during his first two NFL seasons, dealt with a hamstring strain for much of training camp. That allowed Brown and Sigle to establish themselves as the starters. Mustapha has played just nine defensive snaps this season.

"Those guys got a lot of work together and really kind of solidified that job by how they played throughout the preseason," Shanahan said of Brown and Sigle. "I think it's shown here in these last two weeks. I think they've both played very well.


"Malik did get in there for a few plays, and I thought he played really well when he got in. He's been looking great in practice, too, and getting right back to where he was.

"So, we've got three guys right there who could all start for us, so it's a good problem to have."

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