It's well-documented that the San Francisco 49ers could use help at safety, and Thursday saw another potential option come off the board.
But nobody inside the 49ers organization should be losing any sleep over the latest move in the safety market. In fact, they should be grateful to an old friend for signing a player in whom they had reportedly shown interest.
Former New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks All-Pro Jamal Adams found a new home with the Tennessee Titans, who signed him to a one-year deal. The Titans front office is led by former 49ers director of player personnel Ran Carthon.
San Francisco had, per The Seattle Times, kept in touch with Adams this offseason.
The 49ers' interest in Adams never made much sense.
Adams was frequently targeted by the 49ers in their two matchups with the Seahawks last season as head coach Kyle Shanahan took advantage of his deficiencies in coverage.
He was targeted seven times and gave up six catches for 42 yards in the 49ers' Thanksgiving win in Seattle. Two weeks later, he conceded a 54-yard touchdown in coverage as the Niners completed another season sweep of the Seahawks.
At this point in his career, Adams is a one-dimensional player who is at his best in the box attacking the line of scrimmage, with his greatest asset his ability to do damage as an additional pass rusher.
The 49ers are set to start Ji'Ayir Brown and Talanoa Hufanga at safety but could use more depth behind that pair. Brown is a candidate for a breakout year but only played in five regular-season games before capping his postseason campaign with an interception in the Super Bowl. Hufanga is coming off a torn ACL, with rookie Malik Mustapha the main form of insurance if the 2022 All-Pro's return does not go to plan.
But Hufanga is another who does his best work going downhill. What the 49ers need if they are to add a veteran into the mix is somebody who can offer more versatility in coverage. That is emphatically not Adams. Despite their previous interest, the Niners should be very happy Carthon elected to make Adams a member of the Titans.
