49ers All-Pro safety taken off injured list in time for regular season

The San Francisco 49ers announced some good injury news when they released their roster moves that cut their roster down to 53 players.

Among their slate of roster moves was the activation of strong safety Talanoa Hufanga off the Physically Unable to Perform list.

Hufanga spent the entire preseason on PUP while recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 11 last season.

It initially sounded like Hufanga might be able to return at some point in the middle of camp. That he didn’t come back for any of camp led to some questions about whether he’d be ready for Week 1 against the New York Jets.

His activation at final cuts means he’s on the 53-man roster and provides some optimism that he can suit up for the season opener.

On the other hand, it isn’t necessarily a slam dunk that he’ll be in the starting lineup.

The 49ers will still want to see how he looks and practice to ensure he’s ready to play in an NFL game after having so much time away. They could conceivably make him a ‘healthy’ inactive for the season opener if they don’t think he’s game-ready by Sept. 9.

If he can’t go, George Odum figures to be in the starting lineup.

Ultimately, this is great news for Hufanga and the 49ers. He’s on track to at the very least return early in the year with a real chance to play in Week 1. That’s as good as they can ask for given that he tore his ACL late in last season.

Hufanga, a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft, burst on the scene with an All-Pro campaign in 2022. Last year he had three interceptions and three pass breakups with 52 tackles in 10 games before his injury.