The 49ers suffered a significant loss to their defense, with safety Talanoa Hufanga going down with a torn ACL.
In an interview with KNBR’s Murph and Mac show Tuesday morning, general manager John Lynch explained what Hufanga’s loss means for San Francisco’s defense.
“First of all, with Huf, I mean, those kind of guys are difficult to replacesaid Lynch, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “I think he just plays with an energy, with a passion. He is an instinctive player. He’s a playmaker. He gives a lot to our defense and he’s made so many plays. He sets our stadium on fire. He stimulates our players.
The 49ers brought in rookie Ji’Ayir Brown to replace Hufanga and he threw an interception of Baker Mayfield. San Francisco traded for Brown in the third round of this year’s draft.
“He’s a very good football player, and he has — just like Huf — an ability to make plays, and that was tested right away,” Lynch said, adding that Brown had “tremendous” skills with the ball. “So he’s been biding his time, he’s getting better every week. The coaches did a great job, (he) was a big contributor on special teams and he’s really proud of the way he worked and stepped up when asked.
Brown will get his first opportunity to start Thursday night when the 49ers take on the Seahawks to cap the Thanksgiving slate.
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