Was the 49ers’ decision to bench the rookie safety the right one?
In their game against the Green Bay Packers last weekend, the San Francisco 49ers made two small adjustments to their starting lineup: Logan Ryan, who started all 67 defensive snaps for the team, started at safety over Ji’Ayir Brown, and veteran Jon Feliciano started at right guard over Spencer Burford, having played 54 of the team’s 64 offensive snaps.
Defensively, Ryan had a difficult game. He botched a quarters-coverage play later in the game, leaving Ambry Thomas unassisted, which cost San Francisco a big play. He also showed poor tackling on Aaron Jones’s 53-yard run close to the line of scrimmage.
Despite having only joined the team a little over a month prior, Ryan was given the start at safety because Brown had missed the final two weeks of the season due to a knee injury.
Shanahan stated that the 49ers chose to go with the veteran over the rookie in large part because of the time off, arguing that it would be unjust to throw the 2023 third-round pick into that kind of situation right after suffering an injury.
“We knew that we kind of decided that when Ji’Ayir had missed about four weeks,” Shanahan explained the choice to start Ryan over Brown, saying. “He hadn’t played in four weeks, but I believe it was just two games. In practice, he has excelled. Ji’Ayir is my love. He is unrelated to it at all. simply the fact that we are surrounded by playoff games.”
Although Brown’s aggression has been a strength of the team this season, Shanahan benched his rookie in favor of Ryan because he believed that a veteran presence could diffuse tensions.
“I believe it’s a lot when you have a very passionate, aggressive rookie who hasn’t played in a month, I simply don’t want to put that much pressure on him after only four weeks of practice, only to have him play in the playoffs. especially with an experienced opponent in tow who might just cool off a little. Had events transpired differently, Ji’Ayir would have been assigned immediately. However, we really don’t want to harm Ji’Ayir in that way.”
For the first time since being benched, Brown talked to reporters about his feelings and was forthright in expressing his disapproval of the choice, but he also showed that he was prepared to follow the team’s best interests.
“I got a pretty good understanding of what was going on.” Regarding Logan Ryan’s starting safety situation, Brown remarked.”I support the squad wholeheartedly. I’m going to follow Kyle’s judgment on what’s best. I understand it, whether or not I agree with it. Although I didn’t personally agree with it, I did understand Kyle and the team’s goal. Furthermore, as long as we succeed and I can support the team in any way, I’m fine.”
Though his feelings stayed the same, Brown realized the move wasn’t directed personally at him.
“That’s true—it’s not personal,” Brown explained. “Nothing is private. Whether you can feel that in your own chest or not, you know it’s personal, but in this league, it doesn’t matter. The goal is always to win.”
Naturally, the decision backfired a little bit because Ryan didn’t play to his best of his abilities, raising doubts about whether the 49ers would alter their lineup before the NFC Championship Game.
Speaking about the run defense and Ryan’s struggles on Thursday, Shanahan acknowledged the 49ers’ issues in that category against the Packers, pointing out the veteran while also sharing that Brown is still in the mix at safety, although it’s unclear what his role will be against the Lions.
“I would say overall we all have to improve on the run, and I know we point out Logan,” Shanahan said Thursday. “He (Ryan) has to improve on his tackling as we know. He’s going to get better with that. Ji’Ayir is still in the mix. We’ll see exactly how it goes this week and exactly how much he’s going to play. If he will play, if he will start or whatnot, we don’t know. That’s still an ongoing process right now.”
Since Brown is still practicing, is there any chance he will play against the Lions?
“Yes, there is a possibility,” Shanahan stated on the third day. “I felt he did a great job wrapping up the week, and I expect him to be even better this week as a result.”
But if Brown misses a second straight weekend of action, it will be because of the coach’s decision rather than his injury status, because the safety has made it clear that he is a full go in that area, as it was also the case the previous weekend.
“I’m 100 percent, yeah. Same as last week,” Brown said on Wednesday.
The 49ers have the choice to alter, and it might be a better move given that controlling the pace of the game against the Lions will depend on stopping the run, particularly on the edges.
Despite the fact that Brown is a rookie without playoff experience and has an aggressive style, it makes sense to start the third-round pick Brown rather than the seasoned Ryan, who has made mistakes in the past as well, as demonstrated against the Packers.
Brown’s versatility in the run and pass games contributes to the 49ers’ aggressive defense, which has been playing well at all levels of the field in the final weeks of the season before the rookie’s injury.
Although it doesn’t seem like a change is likely right now, it will be something to keep an eye on until Sunday’s game.