With rookie safety Ji’Ayir Brown declared out of Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders, veteran Logan Ryan is set to make his first start in red and gold.
Ryan’s ability to effortlessly transition into San Francisco’s secondary is exactly why coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch opted to sign him in early December after Talanoa Hufanga and George Odum were injured. Ryan is the starting safety now that Brown is out with a knee sprain.
“I’m just really glad we have him right now,” Shanahan said on the newest “49ers Game Plan” broadcast to Greg Papa. “I didn’t know [Ryan], but I played a lot against him and always had a lot of respect for him.”
“[He] always seemed like one of the smarter players on the pitch.”
When Hufanga and Odum were hurt, the 49ers knew Brown, despite his inexperience, would step in. However, with little experience at safety on the roster beyond that, Shanahan stated that the team immediately targeted Ryan. The safety was on a family cruise when the 49ers called, and now, just a few weeks later, he’ll have an opportunity to make a good impression for San Francisco at FedExField on Sunday.
“You’re always one injury away from a guy who’s not ready being out there in some real impactful games and playing a starting position,” Shanahan was quoted as saying. “And you can do it with some rookies and stuff like that.”
Lynch explained why he believes Ryan can handle a larger role in an interview with KNBR on Friday, before Brown was officially declared out for Sunday’s game.
“It’s nice to have a guy who’s got a lot of versatility to his name,” Lynch was quoted as saying by KNBR. “… It’s nice that if Ji’Ayir can’t go, that you can turn to a guy like Logan Ryan and feel very comfortable with what you have back there.”
Shanahan informed reporters on Friday that Brown has a “chance” to play in the 49ers’ regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams next weekend at Levi’s Stadium. But, in the meantime, he believes Ryan can step in admirably.
“Just us playing against him, he always seemed like such an aware, smart player and a guy that had a lot of experience playing a lot of different defences,” Shanahan told reporters at the time. “We brought him in here when we needed him.”
