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Former 49ers DB believes under-the-radar signing will compete to start
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- Former 49ers DB believes under-the-radar signing will compete to start
The San Francisco 49ers made several moves this offseason, but while many believed they needed help in the safety room, general manager John Lynch didn't make a significant addition to the room for a while.
That changed last week, when the 49ers added Ashtyn Davis on a one-year deal. The 29-year-old is entering his seventh season in the league after spending five with the New York Jets and one with the Miami Dolphins .
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While Davis' signing went under the radar, former 49ers defensive back Donte Whitner believes that the veteran may have been brought in to start the game.
"I don't think this move was made for him to be a backup," Whitner said on " The Grit Code " podcast. "He's coming to this team to compete for a starting job… I think this was a move to Ji'Ayir Brown and said 'we gave you two years as a starter. In this third year, we cannot allow you to be a detriment to our success and if you start the season the way that you ended last season, we have a bunch of other guys in this locker room that we will replace you with'."
Brown, 26, played 74% of the team's defensive snaps in 17 games last season. He finished the year with 76 tackles, six passes defensed, two interceptions and a forced fumble. Pro Football Focus gave him a 61.7 overall grade, which put him 62nd out of 98 qualified safeties.
San Francisco should be trying to bring out competition in that safety room between Brown, Davis and Marques Sigle for opportunities to play alongside Malik Mustapha . Whoever has the best showing through training camp and into the preseason should win the job, even if Brown was a third-round pick just a few years ago.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Donte Whitner believes Ashtyn Davis will compete to start for 49ers
