Getty Terrell Burgess then of the Los Angeles Rams attempting to tackle Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers.
As the NFL universe was taken aback by the news that the Las Vegas Raiders had released former first-round pick Jonathan Abrams after failing to secure a trade before the deadline, the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers‘ division rival and Week 8 opponent, released a safety of their own, sending Terrell Burgess to waivers in order to free up a roster spot.
A fixture of the Rams’ specials teams since being drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Burgess played sporadically on defense for Sean McVay’s squad, logging just 221 total snaps while starting three games versus 30 appearances. Now set to hit the waiver wire following a failed attempt to trade him before the deadline, according to Ian Rapoport and others, any team in the NFL who would like to potentially secure the services of a do-it-all collegiate safety who can play in the slot, play in the box, or play deep in a Cover 2 shell can put in a claim for his services, even the 49ers, who currently have more starting-caliber safeties then they have starting safety spots but could always use additional depth behind Jimmie Ward, Tashaun Gipson, and Talanoa Hufanga moving forward.
Tashaun Gipson Has Embraced Mentoring Talanoa Hufanga
Speaking with his former Cleveland Brown teammate Donte Whitner, now of NBC Sports Bay Area, on 49ers Pregame Live, Gipson detailed how it’s his job to mentor Hufanga just like Whitner did for him during the early years of his career, as transcribed by Angelina Martin also of NBC Sports Bay Area.
“I told him I [saw] it in him. I said, ‘Man, you’re going to be the best safety in the league … My job is to get you where you’re trying to go,’ ” Gipson said. “… I asked him what his goals [were]. He said, ‘Man, I just want to get to a Pro Bowl.’”
Echoing what Whitner told him back in their shared time in Cleveland, Gipson took up the challenge of setting a high standard for Hufanga to vault over on his way to bigger and better things.
“And to see it come to fruition, man, it’s just a blessing to watch him unfold week after week, play after play,” Gipson told Whitner. “Such a humble kid, that energy. He wants to learn, and it’s a blessing to be able to share the field with a young, hungry guy like that.”
“He’s going to take over here soon, if he hasn’t already.”
Talanoa Hufanga Name San Francisco 49ers’ Biggest Surprise
With one-half of the 2022 NFL season officially in the books, the fine folks over at Pro Football Focus decided to put together an article called the “2022 NFL Midseason Report: All 32 NFL teams’ highest-graded players, biggest surprises and more” and the results speak very kindly about a certain San Francisco safety who entered the season as a hidden gem and has rapidly become one of the hottest names in the NFL: Talanoa Hufanga.
Highest-graded player: ED Nick Bosa (89.9)
Like his brother, Bosa has been battling a groin injury this season. But that hasn’t slowed him down all that much. He is just as dominant as ever and a big reason why the 49ers have one of the NFL’s top defenses.
Biggest surprise: S Talanoa Hufanga (76.4)
One of the breakout stars of the NFL in 2022, Hufanga just keeps making a ton of big plays. He was known as a box safety at USC yet has excelled in coverage this season en route to becoming a well-rounded player.
Stat to know: The 49ers have the third-most sacks (27) in the NFL this season. They also have the fifth-best pass-rush win rate at 60.5%.
While it shouldn’t be too surprising to see Bosa as the 49ers’ highest-rated player, as he’s a big reason why the team has the third-most sacks and fifth-best pass-rush win rates in the NFL, the emergence of Hufanga as one of the best coverage box safeties in the NFL was far less expected but just as appreciated. Holding strong with the 14th-best defensive grade among 86 qualifying safeties at 76.4, the 8th-best pass-rushing grade at 70.9, and the 16th-best coverage grade at 75.5, Hufanga looks like a perfect fit in DeMeco Ryans’ defense and the sort of player who will be a fixture of the 49ers’ defense for years to come.