The 49ers on Saturday agreed to a contract with versatile defensive back Myles Hartsfield according to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo.
Hartfield was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Panthers following the 2020 NFL draft. He played in all 16 games for Carolina as a rookie with most of his contributions coming on special teams. By his second year he’d carved out a larger defensive role where he played all over the field for Carolina. He carried that job as a free safety and nickel corner over the 2021 and 2022 seasons where he started 19 of the 25 games he played.
The Panthers didn’t offer a restricted free agent tender to Hartsfield and allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent. He wound up back with 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who was the Panthers’ interim head coach last season.
Hartsfield gives the 49ers some needed depth at safety, but he could wind up taking on a variety of jobs on San Francisco’s defense with Tashaun Gipson and Talanoa Hufanga manning the two safety spots. There’s a chance the 49ers push Hartsfield into the slot corner competition with fellow free agent signing CB Isaiah Oliver and second-year CB Samuel Womack.
In 41 games with 19 starts, Hartsfield has 118 tackles, five tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, seven pass breakups and a forced fumble.
