The San Francisco 49ers had a lot of changes in the secondary this offseason, as they saw both CB Charvarius Ward and safety Talanoa Hufanga depart the Bay Area for multi-year deals in free agency.
With the 49ers losing two key members in their secondary, they made sure to add depth to both spots in free agency and the draft. In free agency, the 49ers signed cornerback Tre Brown and safeties Jason Pinnock and Richie Grant to one-year deals.
Then, in the 2025 draft, the 49ers drafted cornerback Upton Stout in the third round and safety Marques Sigle in the fifth round. San Francisco hopes that all these new faces will help get its defense back on track.
Tre Brown Already Emerging as Free-Agent Steal for 49ers
That said, Brown has already gotten off to a good start in OTAs and minicamp, which is good news for the 49ers, as Renardo Green reportedly has had his struggles in OTAs.
According to Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area, Brown was one of three defenders who intercepted starting QB Brock Purdy in the first minicamp practice.
The 27-year-old cornerback has been a turnover machine in the spring workouts. Grant Cohn of San Francisco 49ers on SI highlighted in Week 1 of OTAs that Brown had an interception on Purdy, which was returned for a touchdown. Cohn added that the veteran defender was playing nickelback.
Brown enters a situation in San Francisco where he could potentially start if Green’s struggles continue in training camp and preseason. The veteran defensive back spent the first four years of his career with the Seattle Seahawks, who took him in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
The 5-foot-10 defensive back has been more of a backup than a starter in his NFL career, as he’s logged 13 starts in 39 games played. Last season, Brown appeared in 13 games but made three starts.
Brown had 26 combined tackles and a pass deflection when he was on the field. Additionally, he possessed a 65.4 completion percentage allowed on targets, but a 124.0 pass rating allowed when targeted, and gave up two touchdowns.
Given that he’s on a one-year deal worth $1.7 million, he has nothing to lose and everything to gain in this situation. Even if he doesn’t start right away, Brown gives the 49ers much-needed veteran depth as they also lost Isaac Yiadom and Rock Ya-Sin in free agency.
Nonetheless, the 49ers’ cornerback battle will be one of the more interesting competitions that fans should be paying attention to this summer.