SANTA CLARA – As eager and anxious as he was to immediately get back on the field with no restraints, 49ers safety Malik Mustapha is grateful that the team had other plans.

“I think they were trying to protect me from myself simply because I was just so eager to get back out there,” Mustapha said Friday. “At the end of the day it was perfect for me to ramp me back up the way they did. Body feels good. Body feels great.

“I’m just glad to be back where I’m comfortable enough to just go back in and play football.”

Mustapha’s anxiety to be get back on the field was understandable. He has been a mainstay in San Francisco’s secondary since being selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Mustapha made 12 starts and had 72 tackles during his rookie season and was intent on taking his game to another level this year before doctors and the 49ers suggested that he slow things down a bit after a serious knee injury derailed his first NFL campaign.

Naturally, Mustapha was a bit hesitant. He missed the first five games of the season and was chomping at the bit to get back.

Slowly but surely that is happening as the 49ers have been increasing Mustapha’s workload.

He played only 21 snaps in his debut against Tampa Bay in Week 6, upped that to 45 plays the following week against the Atlanta Falcons then logged 80 snaps during last week’s loss to the Houston Texans.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said that was all by design in order to get Mustapha back up to speed without much risk of re-injury.

“I don’t care how good a shape you’re in or how ready you are to go, you need to play football to get better,” Shanahan said. “I think every sport is like that. You can’t just go play in a basketball game and think you’re going to be how you were before you got injured or when you were really in shape for it.

“Malik has prepared really as hard as anyone I’ve ever seen in my life. He has been so consistent since the first day he got hurt, which has allowed him to get back. It’s just about getting your rhythm, getting your feet under you, knowing where your eyes are, seeing things that fast, which just takes reps, and he’ll get there faster than most people.”

Being limited during his rehab was almost as frustrating as the ACL injury itself for Mustapha.

“It’s just all you know, part of the process,” he said. “The closer and closer you get, the more eager you get. A lot of things are frustrating because you just want to take the chains off fully.

The 49ers definitely need a green light for Mustapaha when the play New York on Sunday. Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart has played exceedingly well this season and is a leading contender for NFL Rookie of the Year.

“Very dynamic,” Mustapha said in assessing Dart. “A lot of off schedule plays, he’s great with his feet and he’s looking to pass downfield. So we just got to be on as DBs to make sure we cover him as thick as possible (and) let our D-line get back to him, cause havoc for him. We just have to play efficient football all around.”

That should be a lot easier for the 49ers to do now that Mustapha is no longer under limitations.

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