FS: Eric Reid, Craig Dahl,
SS: Antoine Bethea, LJ McCray
Signed through 2015
Antoine Bethea, Eric Reid, Craig Dahl, LJ McCray
(Sacremento Bee)
Antoine Bethea
16 starts (16 starts), 71 tackles (14 assists), 4 interceptions (71 yards, 1 TD), 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 10 passes defended.
Upgrade. After many fans lamented the loss of Donte Whitner, now that we have the perspective to look back upon the 2014 season we can clearly see that bringing in Bethea from the Colts was the right decision.
In an otherwise average season for the 49ers, Bethea put together one of the finest seasons from a safety in living memory. Somehow he was passed over for an invitation to the Pro Bowl, even though his predecessor, Donte Whitner himself went on public record to state that Bethea should have not only been invited, but started the Pro Bowl game for the NFC.
Another often overlooked statistic that Bethea has brought to the team, is his record of 112 consecutive starts, which is a league record for a safety. Having someone who can play a physically and mentally tough position to a high standard, for such a long period of time without losing time through injury, is a huge asset for the 49er defense. It also further proves Betheas technical ability, as a lot of safeties often fall short in terms of tackling technique and can pick up concussions fairly quickly. Thankfully, Bethea has continued his streak and with luck, it will carry on into 2015 and beyond.
Eric Reid
15 games (15 starts), 35 tackles (7 assists), 3 interceptions (138 yards), 7 passes defended.
Reid had a solid 2014 campaign, but perhaps not to the levels of his previous years work. His tackling numbers were halved from ‘13-’14 but the most concerning issue throughout the season was his health. He missed one start due to a concussion and was close to missing others because of this recurring issue, after suffering three concussions in his first two seasons in the NFL. They could be occurring due to a fault in his tackling technique or simply be due to bad luck, but whatever the cause, history shows that a player can only sustain so many concussions before they are forced out of the game and it would be a tragedy if a player of Reids ability and potential was forced to cut his career short because of concussions.
Craig Dahl
16 games (1 start), 19 tackles (4 assists), 1 interception (0 yards), 2 passes defended.
Dahl took a paycut to remain as the primary backup safety for the 49ers and spent the majority of the season playing in his special teams roles. He did see a few snaps on defense and started in place of Eric Reid when the latter was ruled out of playing for a game through concussion.
Notching up an interception against the Cardinals in his only start of the season, Dahl showed at least some level of proficiency in playing on defense, but I would not be entirely comfortable in seeing him start numerous games in 2015 if anything were to happen to Eric Reid.
LJ McCray
14 games (0 starts), 8 tackles (2 assists).
LJ McCray was signed as an undrafted free agent after the culmination of the 2014 NFL draft. Most assumed that he would be training camp fodder, or enter onto the practice squad at best, but McCray showed enough through camp and preseason for the 49ers to add him to the roster for opening day against the Cowboys. He saw action primarily on special teams, but did see a handful of snaps in defense throughout the year. McCray has the size and speed to be a good safety in the league and he has shown flashes of talent to pique the interest, but he is also still incredibly raw. It may well take him a couple more seasons to get up to speed with the professional game, and to get to a point where he has a legitimate shot at starting, or at least being a primary backup at the position.
Looking ahead
All four safeties are signed for the upcoming season, which is of course a good thing for continuation. That being said, there is obviously a significant drop in talent from starters down to backups, so it would be prudent of the 49ers to address this situation in the coming months.
Antoine Bethea and Eric Reid give the team the best safety pairing they have had for many years, even better than their more publically acclaimed predecessors, Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson. Bethea and Reid may deliver less crunching hits, but they actually play the safety positions a lot better than Whitner and Goldson.
Both Craig Dahl and LJ McCray proved in 2014 that they can produce in small amounts, but for differing reasons, may not be able to elevate their game enough in 2015 to be effective replacements for either starter, if the need should arise. Eric Reid is battling an ongoing concussion issue and although Antoine Bethea holds the record for the most games started for a safety, as he is past the age of 30 now, there is an ever-increasing risk of him picking up more injuries, so the odds of him missing time through injury are also increasing through time.
All of this adds up to a need to address the depth, or rather, the quality of the depth at the safety position. I would expect the team to take a look at safeties in the middle rounds of the upcoming draft, with the hope of finding a ‘diamond in the rough’ who can prove to be a high quality backup and even push for a starting position as and when Bethea declines, or if Eric Reids concussion issues continue. Either a quality player who sees his draft stock fall through character issues (similar to Aaron Lynch last year), or perhaps a big cornerback who projects to safety in the NFL.
Photograph reference
Sacremento bee, 'Bethea and Reid', accessed online 7th March 2015 <http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/ptakeh/picture4075524/ALTERNATES/FREE_960/AP677781048786.jpg >
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