The 49ers don't have many holes on their roster after falling short in Super Bowl LIV. They replaced two key departures -- DeForest Buckner and Emmanuel Sanders -- by adding Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Every great team has a weakness, though. So, what's San Francisco's soft spot? ESPN's Football Outsiders believes it's the 49ers' possible lack of safety depth.
Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt round out the 49ers' starting safeties, but they aren't exactly ballhawks. The 49ers were the only team in the NFL last season whose safeties failed to record an interception, and they were in the bottom five in tackles at the position, ESPN notes.
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Ward only has two interceptions through six seasons while Tartt has three in five years. Behind them are Tarvarius Moore and Marcell Harris, neither which are proven players quite yet.
And then there are the health concerns. Ward has started 10 games or more just twice in his career, and Tartt has done so once. After playing 16 games last season -- including the playoffs -- Ward is focused on ways to keep his body healthy.
“I’m trying to avoid soft-tissue injuries,” Ward recently told Bay Area reporters. “Breaking bones, and this and that, hopefully, I stay healthy, but that can happen. But soft-tissue injuries, I can avoid that by yoga and just working out and putting the right things in my body.”
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The 49ers also signed an intriguing undrafted free agent in former Alabama safety Jared Mayden. As a senior last season, Mayden led the Crimson Tide with four interceptions while playing all around the field.
Safety very well might be the 49ers' weak link, however, it's clear the 49ers shouldn't have too much to worry about. The top-four players at the position have experience over the last few seasons, and perhaps the front office found a hidden gem after the draft.