The 49ers might elevate a familiar face from the practice squad this week.
Veteran safety Tashaun Gipson, whom San Francisco signed on Tuesday, could suit up if needed against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season, according to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
“Yeah, he is in the mix, especially with [safety Malik Mustapha] being questionable,” Shanahan told reporters Friday. “Gipson got a week of practice in Jacksonville. He’s done awesome this week in his three days, and we’ll discuss that [elevation] with him over the next 24 hours. It’s nice being on the East Coast, we get until four o'clock instead of one. But those are all things -- he looks good enough to do it. [It] just kind of depends on the health of everyone else.”
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The 49ers could elevate veteran safety Tashaun Gipson from the practice squad for Sunday's game 👀 pic.twitter.com/dFM9m2u9Oo
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 8, 2024
Gipson was a staple in the 49ers’ secondary om their previous two seasons. He started 33 games at free safety, collecting 121 tackles, 11 passes defended and six interceptions.
Gipson, who was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ starter between 2016-18, left the 49ers for his old team this past offseason. However, he never played a down in Florida, largely due to the 13-year veteran having to serve a six-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use.
The 49ers simply are taking a chance on the 34-year-old. As Shanahan mentioned, San Francisco doesn’t know if promising rookie Mustapha will be good to go against quarterback Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay.
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Regardless, Gipson was brought in before the NFL trade deadline to be a depth piece; he isn’t expected to play too much, but with how banged-up the 49ers have been, nothing can be ruled out.
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