Former San Francisco 49ers safety Donte Whitner says current 49ers safety Ji’Ayir Brown is heading into training camp on the clock, with a crowded room ready to pounce if he doesn’t show growth early.
“Has Ji’Ayir Brown shown enough to keep his starting job, or is it time to give one of the other safeties an opportunity?” Whitner said on “The Grit Code” podcast. “Experience should matter, but in this case, I don’t think it does. And they clearly have a weakness at safety, and that’s where a lot of the teams and offenses are going to attack.
“I think that he has 10 days from reporting to camp to really flash on the defense, to show his improvements before they start to rotate him with Ashtyn Davis and Marquise Sigle, and it’s an open competition.”
Brown, a third-round pick in 2023, started 17 games in 2025 and posted 76 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble while sliding over to strong safety in Week 6 to accommodate a returning Malik Mustapha. For his career, he’s totaled 188 tackles, five interceptions and 16 pass deflections across three seasons, and he also carved out extra snaps in 2025 as a big nickel, adding another wrinkle to his role in San Francisco’s secondary.
Whitner wants more consistency to go with the versatility.
“So, I think that he must show significant progress that first week in camp leading into that first preseason game where he has eye discipline, where his tackling consistency must improve, pursuit angles, range, communication, route recognition, and show that he is the quarterback of the defense, or quickly, Marquise Sigle or Ashtyn Davis will be inserted into the lineup.”
The stakes extend beyond this season. Brown is heading into the final year of his rookie contract as an impending free agent, and the 49ers haven’t signaled urgency to extend him. San Francisco added to the competition this offseason by signing Ashtyn Davis, a player Whitner has said could push for the starting job himself. With Sigle also in the mix, Brown’s grip on a starting spot looks less secure than his experience might suggest.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Ex-49ers safety explains why starter has ‘10 days’ to keep job
Reporting by Oliver G., Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Oliver G., Niners Wire | USA TODAY Network
