Hufanga (concussion) finished with 38 tackles (20 solo) in seven active games in 2024.
Hufanga entered the season rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in Week 11 of the 2023 campaign. Things didn't get much better for the hard-hitting safety this year after appearing in just seven games due to a combination of ankle and wrist injuries before suffering a concussion in the 49ers' final contest. Hufanga will hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent after showing promise in four years with San Francisco.
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49ers' Nick Bosa: Plays through injury in down year
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Bosa finished with 52 tackles (33 solo), including 9.0 sacks, one interception and one forced fumble across 14 starts in 2024.
Bosa didn't live up to the lofty expectations set in previous seasons despite providing well-rounded statistics. The 2022 DPOY didn't sniff that honor this year after dealing with an oblique injury that cost him three games of action. Bosa didn't get rolling again until Week 17, when he produced a pair of sacks against Detroit. With the 49ers missing the playoffs, the elite edge rusher will have a full offseason to return to full strength before running things back in 2025.
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49ers' Malik Mustapha: Gets lots of run as rookie
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Mustapha (knee) finished his rookie season with 72 tackles (32 solo) and one interception across 16 games with the 49ers.
Mustapha spent most of his rookie campaign filling in for injured starting safety Talanoa Hufanga, who managed to suit up for just seven games after returning from a serious knee injury. The 23-year-old Mustapha suffered a knee injury of his own in the 49ers' final game of the season, but its unclear if it will limit his availability come training camp. Mustapha figures to have an opportunity to compete for the position he filled in at admirably as a rookie in 2025.
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49ers' Ji'Ayir Brown: Solid sophomore season
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Brown finished the regular season with 77 tackles (48 solo) and one interception across 17 starts for San Francisco.
Brown built off of his solid rookie campaign in 2023 by serving as the team's starting free safety as a sophomore. The converted corner didn't provide any eye-opening stats from an IDP perspective, but he played his role well for a defense that struggled as a whole in 2024. Brown figures to start at free safety again for the 49ers next season barring a big-name addition in free agency.
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49ers' Deommodore Lenoir: Another strong campaign
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Lenoir (shoulder) finished with 85 tackles (53 solo), two interceptions and one forced fumble across 15 starts in 2024.
Fresh off of a five-year contract extension, Lenoir proved to be worth the paycheck with nearly identical stats to his stellar 2023 campaign. The 25-year-old did suffer a shoulder injury in Week 17 and wound up missing two games overall this year. Assuming the injury isn't too serious, Lenoir is lined up to be a fixture in San Francisco's secondary for years to come.
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49ers' Fred Warner: Another All-Pro season
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Warner finished the 2024 season with 131 tackles (76 solo), 1.0 sacks, two interceptions, four forced fumbles and a defensive touchdown across 17 starts for San Francisco.
All-Pro Fred lived up to his nickname with another appearance on the first-team All-Pro squad in 2024. The 28-year-old fell just six tackles shy of his previous career high while chipping in a variety of auxiliary stats for IDP managers. Warner finished as one of the few bright spots for an underperforming 49ers defense. He will continue to lead the defense in 2025 as the club attempts to rediscover its identity after firing its defensive coordinator in consecutive seasons.
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49ers' George Odum: Ends 2024 on injured reserve
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Odum (knee) tallied 16 tackles (14 solo) and four pass defenses across 12 regular-season games in 2024.
Odum started in the first two games of the regular season as Talanoa Hufanga was in the final stages of his recovery from a torn ACL, and the former logged five solo tackles and two pass defenses over that span. Odum served primarily on special teams from Week 3 onwards, though he did play a season-high 55 snaps against the Seahawks in Week 6 and finished with six tackles (four solo) and two pass defenses. His 2024 campaign ended in early December when he was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury, but he should be fully healthy for the start of training camp in July.
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49ers' Yetur Gross-Matos: Records 4.0 sacks in 2024
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Gross-Matos finished the 2024 season with 19 tackles (14 solo), including 4.0 sacks, across 11 games.
Gross-Matos signed a two-year, $18 million deal with the 49ers last March but suffered a knee injury in the preseason and ended up missing six of the first nine games with knee issues. The veteran edge rusher served in a rotational role off the edge for San Francisco and logged three of his four sacks in a Week 14 drubbing of the Bears. Gross-Matos is slated to collect a sizable $7.39 million salary in 2025, which could be prohibitive to a Niners team that may look to revamp the roster after missing the playoffs. Gross-Matos was nearly invisible in the box score outside of that eruption versus Chicago.
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49ers' Jordan Elliott: Sees role increase over 2024 season
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Elliott finished the 2024 regular season with 19 tackles (12 solo) through 15 games.
Elliott signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the 49ers in March of 2024 after spending the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Browns, who selected him in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Elliott failed to crack 30 defensive snaps in the first five games of the regular season, but he managed to reach that mark in nine of his next 10 outings due to injuries to Kevin Givens (pectoral) and Javon Hargrave (triceps). Elliott would see plenty of snaps at defensive tackle alongside Hargrave and Maliek Collins in 2025 if Givens opts to sign with another team during the offseason.
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49ers' Sam Okuayinonu: Establishes larger role in 2024
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Okuayinonu finished the 2024 regular season with 35 tackles (25 solo), including 3.0 sacks, one pass defense and one forced fumble across 16 games.
Okuayinonu signed a reserve/future contract with the 49ers in February of 2024 after being without a team for the entire 2023 season. He didn't make the Niners' 53-man roster at the end of training camp, but he was signed to the active roster in late September following a short stint on the practice squad. Okuayinonu eventually earned his role as a rotational defensive end behind starters Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd, and Okuayinonu was able to show off his pass-rushing ability when he accumulated 3.0 sacks in a six-game stretch between Week 3 and 8. Okuayinonu is an exclusive-rights free agent for 2025, which means he is restricted to signing a contract with the 49ers if they offer one to him. If San Francisco doesn't offer a contract to Okuayinonu, he would convert into an unrestricted free agent and would have the ability to sign with any team interested in his services.
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49ers' Maliek Collins: Starts all 17 games in 2024
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Collins finished the 2024 season with 33 tackles (20 solo), including 5.0 sacks, and two fumble recoveries across 17 games.
At 29 years old and in his ninth NFL season, Collins started all 17 games for San Francisco and matched his previous career high with the 5.0 sacks, a number he hit in both 2016 with Dallas as a rookie and 2023 with Houston. Collins proved to be a smart acquisition by 49ers GM John Lynch last March, when he sent a seventh-round pick to the Texans for the veteran defensive tackle. Collins has one year remaining on his contract through 2025.
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49ers' Leonard Floyd: Finishes 2024 with 8.5 sacks
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Floyd totaled 42 tackles (25 solo), including 8.5 sacks, one pass defense and one forced fumble across 17 regular-season games in 2024.
After tying a career high in sacks (10.5) during the 2023 regular season with the Bills, Floyd opted to sign a two-year, $20 million contract with the 49ers in March of 2024. It looked like he was going to match or surpass that mark after reaching 8.5 sacks through 13 games, but he failed to record a sack over the final four games of the season. Floyd managed to play in every single regular-season game in 2024, which extended his active-game streak to 116 contests dating back to Week 1 of the 2018 season when he played for the Bears.
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49ers' Dee Winters: Starts 10 games in second season
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Winters finished the 2024 season with 44 tackles (26 solo) and four pass breakups across 15 games.
Taken in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Winters didn't make a single start as a rookie but played an elevated role on defense in 2024, starting 10 of the 15 games in which he appeared. Winters essentially played an every-down role over the final two weeks, giving the coaching staff some perspective on his ability to fill that spot over the course of a full season should the 49ers be unable to re-sign Dre Greenlaw in free agency.
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49ers' Isaac Yiadom: Ties career high in total tackles
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Yiadom accumulated 46 tackles (38 solo), six pass defenses (including one interception), two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery across 17 regular-season games in 2024.
Yiadom joined the 49ers in March of 2024 on a one-year, $1.3 million contract after spending the past two seasons with the Saints and Texans. The 2018 third-round pick managed to tie his career high in combined tackles that he set in 2020 with the Giants. However, Yiadom's snap count on defense was inconsistent throughout the year, and he failed to log at least 10 defensive snaps in four of the final five games of the regular season. The veteran will enter the offseason as a free agent and will look to join a team in need of veteran depth in the secondary.
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49ers' Charvarius Ward: Zero INTs during 2024 season
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Ward finished the 2024 season with 54 tackles (38 solo) and seven pass breakups across 12 games.
After logging a league-leading 23 pass breakups, including five interceptions, during the 2023 campaign, Ward played five fewer games in 2024 and failed to record a single interception. He missed time with hamstring, knee and personal issues. Ward was a second-team All-Pro selection last season and is now slated for unrestricted free agency in March while coming off what most would consider a down year. Ward will turn 29 years old in May. His ordinary season and missed time will likely cost him some money on his next contract.
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49ers' Renardo Green: Gets seven starts in rookie season
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Green (groin) finished the 2024 regular season with 61 tackles (41 solo), 13 pass defenses (including one interception) and one forced fumble across 17 games.
The rookie second-round pick out of Florida State mainly contributed on special teams over the first five games of the regular season. Green earned a larger role on the first-team defense as the season progressed, playing at least 40 defensive snaps in 11 of the last 12 games of the regular season. Thanks to the extra playing time, Green was able to break San Francisco's rookie record for pass defenses in a season, surpassing safety Eric Reid's 11 from 2013, per Ali Thanawalla of Yahoo Sports. Green will be an integral part of a young 49ers secondary for the 2025 campaign alongside Ji'Ayir Brown, Malik Mustapha and Deommodore Lenoir.
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49ers' Javon Hargrave: Could be moving on
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General manager John Lynch confirmed Wednesday that the 49ers plan to release Hargrave (triceps) after June 1, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Hargrave has two years remaining on a four-year contract he signed in March 2023. Accorimding to Wagoner, San Francisco is interested in bringing Hargrave back next season, as his release would be for cap purposes. The veteran defensive tackle only appeared in three games in 2024 before suffering a torn triceps, finishing his campaign with seven tackles (four solo), including 1.0 sacks.
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49ers' Renardo Green: Exits early from season finale
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Green has been deemed questionable to return to Sunday's Week 18 matchup against Arizona due to a groin injury, Lindsey Pallares of the 49ers' official site reports.
The 49ers deemed Green questionable to re-enter Sunday's matchup midway through the third quarter. His exit thins an already depleted San Francisco secondary that entered Sunday without cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (shoulder), then lost safeties Talanoa Hufanga (concussion) and Malik Mustapha (knee) during the matchup. Isaac Yiadom, Rock Ya-Sin and Nick McCloud are candidates to step in for defensive snaps while Green is sidelined.
Hufanga was diagnosed with a concussion during Sunday's game against the Cardinals and will not return, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Hufanga was evaluated for a concussion during halftime. His diagnosis means that he will not be able to return to Sunday's game and he'll finish with five tackles (four solo). Tashaun Gipson and Ji'Ayir Brown will serve as the 49ers' safeties for the rest of Sunday's game due to injuries to Hufanga and Malik Mustapha (knee).
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49ers' Malik Mustapha: Done for day
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Mustapha (knee) has been ruled out for the rest of Sunday's contest versus the Cardinals, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Mustapha suffered a knee injury in the first half, which will now officially bring his day to a close. The safety recorded a solo tackle before departing the game, and in his absence, Ji'Ayir Brown and Tashaun Gipson will continue to operate in a more significant roles against Arizona.
