Getty Davis Mills gets pursued by Nick Bosa while Jaquiski Tartt wraps him up during their Week 17 game of the 2021 season.
June has officially arrived, and there are free agents who last played for the San Francisco 49ers who are still without an NFL home.
But could that change this month? Especially during a period when teams often alter their roster to help sign their draft picks or clear up salary cap room to make last minute signings?
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One of those players still on the free agent market: Veteran safety Jaquiski Tartt.
Unfortunately for Tartt, the last memory most 49er fans have of him is his botched interception attempt that helped keep the momentum on the Los Angeles Rams‘ side during the NFC championship game. Tartt was blunt about himself afterwards when addressing the media about that play.
An emotional Jaquiski Tartt addressed his dropped interception postgame
“As a player, I feel like I let my brothers down…”It’s a moment a lot of athletes dream of…. You can make this game-changing play & when the play came up, I didn’t make it.”
While he remains unsigned, one NFL analyst believes that Tartt can find rejuvenation elsewhere — and placed his name as the “one move” one AFC team should make.
Move Puts Tartt With Past 49ers Assistant
Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report wrote on Tuesday, May 31 the list of moves every NFL team can still make.
Included in Moton’s column: The 30-year-old Tartt being brought in by the New York Jets.
“The New York Jets need depth at safety,” was Moton’s first sentence in writing about the potential fit with Tartt.
There’s other reasons that helps explain why the Jets could make sense for Tartt: His connection to the head coach in New York.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh is familiar with the 6-foot-1, 215-pound safety. Of the 367 total tackles Tartt has collected according to Pro Football Reference, he snatched 175 with Saleh as his defensive coordinator. Tartt also delivered nine tackles for a loss, 11 pass deflections (including a career-best four in Saleh’s last season as DC in 2020) and picked off three of his four interceptions with Saleh on the sidelines.
“Under Saleh, who served as the 49ers defensive coordinator between 2017 and 2020, Tartt moved around the secondary like a chess piece, taking snaps at both safety spots and in the slot. He can do the same on the back end of Gang Green’s defense,” Moton said.
Could Tartt Fit in With ‘Gang Green?’
Should the Jets pursue Tartt, it gives “gang green” two new free agent additions.
“They already signed Jordan Whitehead (from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), who’s likely to start,” Moton shared.
The Jets also have another young safety on the roster with Bay Area ties.
“Third-year pro Ashtyn Davis (from Santa Cruz and played collegiately at Cal) has a chance to develop in the other first-string spot after he struggled in coverage last season, allowing a 123.1 passer rating in coverage,” Moton added.
But there’s one member of the Jets’ safety room who Moton says is someone the team “can’t necessarily count on” in a former division rival of the 49ers.
“They can’t necessarily count on Lamarcus Joyner (played 2014 to 2018), who tore his tricep in the 2021 season opener and turns 32 years old in November,” Moton wrote.
All the more reason why he believes Tartt, given his ties to Saleh and the other 49ers representation on the Jets’ roster with guard Laken Tomlinson, is being urged as the “one move” the Jets should make.
“They should reach out to Jaquiski Tartt, who has experience in head coach Robert Saleh’s scheme from their time with the San Francisco 49ers,” Moton said. “Tartt has battled injuries throughout his career and hasn’t played a full season in any of his seven campaigns. However, he can be a high-quality rotational defender who provides solid coverage. The 30-year-old has allowed only six touchdowns over the last four years.”
Tartt is likely facing a nebulous 49ers future anyway. Per this Heavy on 49ers story from Wednesday, four players including a free agent pickup and undrafted rookie are all vying for the starting strong safety spot once belonging to Tartt.