In the aftermath of Sunday's 27-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed Monday morning that his All-Pro safety, Talanoa Hufanga, sustained a torn ACL. That is a significant loss for the defense, but the coaching staff is confident in third-round draft pick Ji'Ayir Brown's ability to fill the void for the remainder of the season.
"That's one of the reasons we went for him," Shanahan said via a conference call. "We knew we needed some depth there, and the coolest thing about him ... I think you heard it from guys yesterday, but the way he's been practicing here every week, he's been practicing like he knew this moment was coming.
"He's been locked in extremely impressive for a rookie, and I think that's why he was ready for his moment last night and made some big plays that helped us win. So excited for him for his opportunity, but really bummed about Huf."
Despite a somewhat shaky start that saw Brown conceding a 41-yard catch leading to a one-yard touchdown run by Buccaneers running back Rachaad White, the rookie rebounded. He later broke up a touchdown pass to Mike Evans with 6:39 remaining in the game and even came away with a Baker Mayfield interception in the end zone.
As for Hufanga, Shanahan was excited about his 23-year-old safety's contributions this season, something that will now have to wait until 2024.
"I thought he started [the season] out well," Shanahan said of Hufanga. "I thought he hit a little lull during the season in our skid, and I thought he played one of his best games versus Jacksonville, and I thought the same thing was going to happen here [against Tampa Bay]. But I thought he was going to end up having a real good year."
