A familiar face is back.
The 49ers just promoted veteran safety Tashaun Gipson from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. To make room for Gipson, the 49ers placed rookie linebacker Tatum Bethune on Injured Reserve with a knee injury.
Gipson, 34, started 33 regular season games and six playoff games for the 49ers from 2022 to 2023. He’s a ball hawk who has intercepted 33 passes in his career. Which means the 49ers just might have some use for him in the near future if they can keep their season alive.
This offseason, Gipson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. But he quickly got suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs, and the Jaguars eventually released him. So the 49ers signed him to their practice squad. And now he’s back on the active roster.
The past two weeks, the 49ers called up Gipson from the practice squad just for game day — the team can call up two practice squad players every week. And in those games, Gipson played special teams, which have been a huge issue for the 49ers this season. So he’s helping to fix their biggest weakness. Hence his promotion.
It’s a long shot that Gipson will regain his spot as a starting safety this season because the 49ers have two young safeties they like — Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha. But if either player gets injured, you can bet that Gipson will be the next man up ahead of George Odum.
