The San Francisco 49ers are adding a veteran safety to their practice squad, which could signal bad news for Talanoa Hufanga.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday reported veteran Tracy Walker will sign with San Francisco’s practice squad. The expectation is that Walker will be elevated for the 49ers’ season opener against the New York Jets.
This would appear to signal that the 49ers don’t anticipate Hufanga being available for Week 1.
Walker would join Ji’Ayir Brown, Malik Mustapha and George Odum on the gameday roster. Odum is the frontrunner to start alongside Brown if Hufanga can’t play.
San Francisco activated Hufanga off the Physically Unable to Perform list as part of their roster moves at Tuesday’s final cut deadline. However, the activation doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be ready for the season opener. He has yet to practice in the preseason and the team may want to give him an extra week or two to test out his surgically-repaired knee in a practice setting while also ramping up into football shape.
There’s also a chance the 49ers expect to elevate Walker just as added insurance at the position even with Hufanga active. He signed during training camp and put together a strong enough showing in practice and the preseason to provide some optimism that he can contribute for San Francisco on the defensive side.
Walker, 29, is a six-year veteran with 79 games and 43 starts under his belt, all with the Detroit Lions. In his career he has 4.0 sacks, three interceptions and 23 pass breakups.
