Talanoa Hufanga‘s 2023 season is officially over.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced on Monday that tests confirmed the safety has torn his right knee’s ACL.
Hufanga suffered the injury early in the third quarter of San Francisco’s 27-14 win over Tampa Bay when he attempted to close in on Buccaneers running back Rachaad White, who cut outside to evade Hufanga, who fell to the turf. Hufanga stood up and slowly walked off the field, but did not return to the game, with rookie Ji’Ayir Brown replacing him and recording an interception in the fourth quarter.
Eventually, Hufanga was taken to the locker room on a cart for further assessment, and unfortunately, the test results confirmed the worst. However, there was a small piece of good news; Shanahan reported that Hufanga’s torn ACL did not affect the meniscus.
Hufanga will not appear in 15 or more games for the first time in the 2023 campaign. The ex-fifth-round pick has shown himself to be a valuable selection in his over two NFL seasons, advancing from a rotational player to a crucial part of San Francisco’s defense. In 2022, he bagged his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, after registering 97 tackles (five for loss), four interceptions, nine pass deflections, and two forced fumbles.
Hufanga officially introduced himself to the NFL world with his pick-six of Matthew Stafford during San Francisco’s win over Los Angeles on Monday Night Football last season, and has continued to produce as a versatile piece in the 49ers’ defense. He’ll be missed for the rest of 2023 as the 49ers continue on their pursuit of a Super Bowl.
