SANTA CLARA–The 49ers had a choice to make.
Start a more experienced player at a new position, or start an undrafted rookie with no NFL experience at all.
Though Lorenzo Jerome played plenty of free safety at the college level, the reps he took at St. Francis University in Pennsylvania weren’t enough to supersede the NFL experience of Jaquiski Tartt.
With starting free safety Jimmie Ward sidelined due to a hamstring injury, the 49ers elected to shift Tartt over from the strong safety position back to the free safety spot for Sunday’s contest against the Carolina Panthers.
While Jerome impressed throughout the preseason with his knack for finding the ball and making plays in space, first-year defensive coordinator Robert Saleh chose to move Tartt, the 49ers’ 2015 second round draft choice, over to take Ward’s spot on Sunday.
Jerome is still expected to play, as both Tartt and Jerome took reps at the position in practice this week.
The strong safety in Saleh’s 4-3 scheme is more of an in-the-box defender, while the free safety is the last line of defense and a “centerfield” player at the back end.