Malik Mustapha's Return Spells Disaster for This 49ers Starter
Kyle Shanahan revealed Malik Mustapha's practice window might open on Monday, which will spell disaster for this 49ers starter.
Oct 27, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers safety Malik Mustapha (6) celebrates after Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (not pictured) pass is incomplete during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images
Kyle Shanahan delivered hopeful news on Friday on Malik Mustapha’s return.
He said that the 49ers are hoping that they can open up his practice on Monday. Mustapha has been on the PUP list due to an ACL injury he suffered in the 2024 season finale.
Whether he practices next week or not, this is a great sign that Mustapha is closing in on his return. However, his return spells disaster for this 49ers starter.
This player may lose his starting job
That starter is rookie Marques Sigle. He is bound to be the odd man out when Mustapha returns. I doubt it happens immediately. The 49ers will likely ease Mustapha back in initially.
Either way, Sigle is on borrowed time as the starter. It’s not going to be Jason Pinnock who loses his starting spot because he’s a player that Robert Saleh trusts in his role.
You can’t say that about Sigle. He’s been the worst defender on the 49ers through five games. Against the Rams, he was a complete liability in coverage, allowing five catches on six targets for 127 yards and a passer rating of 118.8.
It wasn’t surprising to see him get picked on by Matthew Stafford. He’s the worst 49ers’ defender in pass coverage. In the year, Sigle has allowed 19 catches on 21 targets for 286 yards and two touchdowns. He’s completely abysmal when it comes to playing the ball.
The issue with him isn’t that he can’t guard well. He’s actually in a solid position more times than not. He just has no idea what to do when the ball is in the air. Someone has to teach him that last step.
If he knew what to do, then he would have gotten an interception when he was targeted in coverage in the end zone on Colby Parkinson early in the fourth quarter. If he picks that, the Rams don’t score a touchdown on the following play.
Sigle just doesn’t have the playmaking traits. He isn’t a ballhawk. That’s not to say he won’t ever develop that, but it’s not gonna happen this season. It would be shocking to see.
The only bright side with Sigle is that he’s solid against the run. He does a fine job of coming up and playing clean up on any ball carrier. Besides that, he’s the Achilles heel of the defense.
When Mustapha returns, he will lose his starting job.
Chiefs Get Surprise Injury Before Week 5 MNF Game vs. Jaguars
Coming into the weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs had a relatively clean bill of health. The reigning AFC champions have just a couple of minor injury situations to monitor, or at least they thought, as Saturday’s practice arrived.
There’s a new development as the club heads south to face the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s a classic good news, bad news situation from head coach Andy Reid.
Andy Reid Drops News of Surprise Injury to Chiefs DT Omarr Norman-Lott
In his Saturday afternoon media availability, Reid revealed that defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott is nursing a shoulder injury. He sustained the ailment on Friday.
“The only one that didn’t practice today was Lott, Omarr,” Reid said. “He nicked up his shoulder yesterday. We’ll just see how he does here in the next couple of days.”
When asked whether it’s a serious injury, Reid erred on the side of caution but said the rookie should be fine in the grand scheme.
“Listen, I think he should be OK,” Reid said. “We’ll see.”
It remains to be seen whether this will impact Norman-Lott’s availability for Monday night’s game.
UPDATE: Per the Chiefs, Norman-Lott is questionable for Monday.
This marks the continuation of what’s been a slow start for Norman-Lott’s rookie season. The 63rd overall NFL Draft pick dealt with an ankle injury in August, limiting his availability and effectiveness during the preseason. He then got a sack in his NFL debut in Week 2.
In Weeks 2-4, Norman-Lott combined to play 55 defensive snaps. In those opportunities, he has 5 tackles (4 solo efforts and 1 for loss) and the aforementioned quarterback takedown. The former Tennessee standout owns a 50.2 Pro Football Focus overall grade, which ranks 132nd among 179 interior defensive linemen. His 62.3 pass rush grade, however, is 71st.
Assessing Kansas City’s Interior Defensive Line Options for Week 5 & Beyond
Norman-Lott is one of three Chiefs players worth monitoring ahead of Monday’s game. All signs point to defensive end Mike Danna returning from his quad injury in time for Week 5. Cornerback Kristian Fulton continues to make progress, although he was limited in practice on both Thursday and Friday.
In the event Norman-Lott misses time or is hindered by the shoulder injury, Kansas City will need its interior of the defensive front to step up. Through four games, the Jaguars rank second in both ESPN’s pass block win rate and run block win rate. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been pressured at the lowest clip in the sport. Jacksonville’s rushing attack, fueled by Travis Etienne, ranks seventh in EPA/play per Jefe’s Handiwork.
Look no further than the Chiefs‘ Week 4 win over the Baltimore Ravens to figure out their defensive tackle rotation. Leading the group, as expected, was All-Pro Chris Jones with 39 snaps played. Norman-Lott’s 17 snaps were good for second place, followed by veterans Jerry Tillery (16) and Derrick Nnadi (13). Tillery recorded a sack in the game, and his snaps per game have increased in each week Norman-Lott was active for.
At the defensive end spot, Charles Omenihu is beginning to heat up. If Danna indeed returns as expected, his inside-outside versatility goes hand-in-hand with Omenihu’s. George Karlaftis is the straw that stirs the drink for that position, and he’s enjoying a great start to the year.
The long game is always more important for the Chiefs. They’ll handle Norman-Lott’s seemingly minor injury accordingly.
