Getty John Lynch signed another safety on Tuesday.
The San Francisco 49ers bolstered its defensive backfield depth on Tuesday by signing Logan Ryan according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Ryan, 32, won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots in 2015 and 2016 before he bounced around the league during the past seven years. He most recently played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2022 season, but Ryan didn’t find a landing spot in free agency before the current season.
He has 19 interceptions in his career along with 13 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, 98 pass deflections, and 742 tackles. Last season, Ryan tallied one interception, 37 tackles, and a forced fumble in six games played amid a foot injury.
Ryan has been durable throughout his career with only a few injuries. He endured an ankle sprain and concussion in 2017 with the Tennessee Titans, but he didn’t miss any time. His fibula fracture in 2018 cost him the last two games of that season with the Titans.
A third-round NFL Draft pick by the Patriots out of Rutgers in 2013, Ryan played four seasons in Foxborough before he left for Tennessee in free agency. After three seasons with the Titans, Ryan signed with the New York Giants in 2020.
Ryan, who played four seasons with former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, joined the future Hall of Famer in Tampa for 2022. The Buccaneers’ struggles thwarted Ryan’s hopes of another Super Bowl ring, but he has another shot with the 49ers.
San Francisco could land the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and a bye with five-straight wins to end the season coupled with another Philadelphia Eagles loss. The 49ers increased their chances to the top seed with a 42-19 win against the Eagles in Week 13.
49ers Safeties Riddled With Injuries
Adding Ryan helps the 49ers’ depth at safety — a position riddled with injuries.
George Odum tore a bicep in Week 12, and he’s expected to miss the rest of the season. That doesn’t mean Odum believes he’s out amid his Instagram post last week.
“I completely tore my right bicep. Expected to be out for about two months. I want to thank everyone for reaching out to me yesterday after my surgery it means a lot to me,” Odum wrote. “I’ll be back on the field this year!”
Talanoa Hufanga also went down with an injury earlier this season. Hufanga sustained an ACL tear against the Buccaneers in Week 11, and he will miss the rest of the season.
In 10 games this season, Hufanga tallied three interceptions, 52 tackles, and three pass deflections. Odum had 12 tackles 11 games played this year.
49ers Have Room for Improvement on Pass Defense
While San Francisco has the second-best scoring defense in the league at 15.8 points allowed per game, the secondary gives up 219.4 passing yards per contest. The 14th-rated Niners pass defense has plenty of challenges ahead with solid passing attacks down the stretch of the regular season and likely in the playoffs.
The Seattle Seahawks, the 49ers’ Week 14 opponent, has been middle of the road with 231.2 yards per game. However, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is coming into the game fresh off of a 334-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Dallas Cowboys.