Once the team signed Carlos Rogers to a one-year deal, we talked about how bringing back safety Dashon Goldson was a must. Well, it was a must because that's the only other safety the 49ers had been linked to. Goldson is an above-average safety, and if the 49ers were to replace him with another above-average safety, it sure would help Rogers do his job as the team's number one corner.
Goldson stated on Twitter that he wasn't coming back, although that's not a 100% confirmation at this point, given his propensity to overreact on Twitter. However, his return doesn't appear to be likely at this point. Goldson would have been nice, but at this point, he was either asking for too much money (as evidenced by the fact that he's still not signed) or doesn't fit into the team's scheme.
As noted, Rogers seriously needs some help over the top if he's to keep his confidence, and now the 49ers have signed Madieu Williams and Donte Whitner, presumably to be the team's starting safeties. Taylor Mays or Reggie Smith could still be in the mix, but the former might be traded and the latter isn't likely to beat these veterans out for the job. So Williams-Whitner could be your starting safety tandem, behind Rogers and either Shawntae Spencer, Tarrel Brown or rookie Chris Culliver.
You could do a lot worse for that, and the 49ers look a little better now than they did just a few short, panic-filled days ago. The fanbase was freaking out on general manager Trent Baalke and team owner Jed York - why were they being so patient? Why weren't they signing anybody? Well now they've added at least three dependable defensive backs and it all looks to be an upgrade in the end.
Will the 49ers have a better secondary? Your guess is as good as our's, but the team has made signings that appear solid at face value. Let's see if patience pays off.