After the San Francisco 49ers were one of the best teams at defending the pass in 2024, allowing just 192.8 passing yards per game (4th in the NFL), they made significant changes to their secondary this offseason.

In free agency, San Francisco traded out Charvarius Ward, Isaac Yiadom, Talanoa Hufanga, Nick McCloud, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, George Odum, Rock Ya-Sin, Tashaun Gipson and Tre Avery for Jason Pinnock, Tre Brown, Richie Grant, Fabian Moreau, Siran Neal and Tre Tomlinson.

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The 49ers also used a third-round pick on Upton Stout and a fifth-round pick on Marques Sigle before signing Jackob Robinson and Derrick Canteen as undrafted free agents.

While a few of them are up for large roles in 2025, it’s notable that the 49ers gave Sigle first-team reps in practice on Monday, according to those in attendance. Then, after the session, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if Sigle is in contention to start in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Shanahan said. “I think there’s a lot of open competition there. I thought he had a really good game, special teams and on defense, so I wouldn’t rule him out for that.”

Sigle, 23, spent the first three years of his collegiate career at North Dakota State from 2020-22 before transferring to Kansas State for two. Over those last two years, he appeared in 25 games and recorded 123 tackles (10 for a loss), 12 passes defensed and four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown).

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With starting safety Malik Mustapha recovering from a torn ACL, the 49ers entered training camp with at least one open spot at safety. 2023 third-round pick Ji’Ayir Brown got 13 starts at safety in 2024 and could be starting there again, but with Pinnock and Grant both joining the roster as veterans, it was assumed that one of them would hold down the other spot, at least until Mustapha returned.

However, Sigle impressed in camp, and he was third on the team in tackles (seven) in the team’s preseason battle with the Denver Broncos despite missing time due to injury.

The jobs are far from decided, but Sigle has put himself in a good position with just a few weeks until the start of the season.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers’ Marques Sigle may steal a starting job from a veteran in Week 1