A familiar face is back in the San Francisco 49ers secondary.
The 49ers on Saturday announced veteran safety Tashaun Gipson has been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster as a part of a handful of roster moves leading up to a Week 12 matchup with the Green Bay Packers.
Gipson has been elevated for the last two games, but now he’ll be permanently on the 53-man roster. He started 33 games across the 2022 and 2023 seasons for San Francisco. They signed him to their practice squad in early November after he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Gipson will give the 49ers depth behind Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha.
In a corresponding move, the 49ers placed linebacker Tatum Bethune on IR. Bethune suffered an MCL injury in Week 11. It’s unclear if the rookie seventh-round pick will be able to return this season. He’ll be out a minimum of four weeks per the NFL’s IR rules.
The 49ers’ pair of standard elevations for Week 12 are linebacker Jalen Graham and cornerback Nick McCloud. Both should contribute on special teams. San Francisco is shorthanded there with Bethune and CB Darrell Luter Jr. both on IR.
Special teams has been an issue for San Francisco this season, but they’ll need those units to be at their best if they’re going to swing an upset over the Packers.