Golden Nuggets: What should the 49ers’ New Year’s resolution be?

After starting safety Talanoa Hufanga was lost for the season with an ACL tear, the 49ers signed veteran safety Logan Ryan on December 5. Logan Ryan is expected to start at safety.

In his eleventh NFL season, Ryan is expected to start for the 49ers for the first time in his 122nd career start. In the past, he has started games for Tampa Bay, Tennessee, New England, and the New York Giants.

Starter Javon Hargrave has been battling a hamstring injury, so the 49ers were fortunate to add another top-line player for the defensive line.

Joseph-Day had three sacks, 11 quarterback hits and 31 tackles in 14 games with the Chargers. He can be expected to factor into the rotation immediately and could eventually become one of their most-used defensive linemen in the postseason.

When Wilks, whose area of expertise is the secondary, arrived this offseason he saw that Ward, who goes by the nickname “Mooney,” was already established as a starter. But Wilks believed there was more to unlock.

When he first got here, he always told me, ‘Moon, you a bad MF’er,’” Ward said. “Just instilling that confidence in me and believing in me. I just want to repay him for believing in me.”

Ward’s touchdown offered a prime example of how Wilks has helped. In the Saturday walkthrough before that game, the Niners ran the exact play that would result in the pick-six.

On it, Ward would drop into Cover 3 zone, but the rules of his responsibility required him to pass off Arizona tight end Trey McBride had he run any further across the field. When McBride sat down in the zone, Ward knew exactly what play it was, jumping in front of the pass and racing at a top speed of 20.6 miles per hour for the score.”

He’s played a two-gap scheme so far in his career while the 49ers play the opposite of that. That suggests the learning curve will be challenging. Still, Bosa noted that Joseph-Day’s strength — his quickness — makes him a good match for the 49ers’ aggressive, up-field style. Day ran his 40-yard dash in 2018 in 4.97 seconds and had a 1.68-second 10-yard split, both of which are impressive for a 300-pound interior defensive lineman.”