Safety First? Niners Bringing In Veteran Tony Jefferson

It appears the San Francisco 49ers are willing to give veteran safety Tony Jefferson a shot.

At least, that's the word from ESPN's Adam Schefter, who wrote that Jefferson is all but signed, sealed and delivered to the Niners.

This is news because Jefferson hasn't played since 2019. Until that point, he had made a name for himself with the Arizona Cardinals, resulting in a four-year, $34 million contract with the Ravens in 2017.

But everything came to a halt in a Ravens-Steelers game in October 2019, when Jefferson fell to the ground during a play and clutched his knee. An MRI revealed a torn ACL and Jefferson was placed on season-ending injured reserve the following day. He was released by the Ravens on Valentine's Day of 2020.

The question is, does Jefferson have anything left? Or more precisely, can he be the same type of safety he was before the injury? The 49ers are willing to find out.

"When Jefferson was on the field for Baltimore, he was one of the most effective defensive backs in the NFL," wrote Kyle Posey of NinersNation.com. "Jefferson was on track for another fantastic season in 2019 before he went down with an injury. He broke up five passes on seven targets. Jefferson has the type of versatility where you feel comfortable letting him rush the passer."