SANTA CLARA -- Tashaun Gipson is a starting safety in the NFL. That much is certain.
Four games into his 11th season of professional football, Gipson has started the past 118 games in which he has appeared.
That streak could come to an end in the near future when Jimmie Ward is fully back from a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since Aug. 14.
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Gipson signed with the 49ers a week later, knowing at some point Ward would be cleared to return to his long-time role on the back end of the defense. Ward returned to practice on Wednesday.
“Any time you’re in this business, you have to understand the reality,” Gipson told NBC Sports Bay Area.
“I was coming here behind a guy who was voted a top 100 player. Jimmie, in my opinion, doesn’t get enough credit.
“There are a lot of things he does. He’s one of the better safeties in the league, especially when it comes to covering guys. There aren’t many guys who can do what he does.”
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There are not many guys who can do what Gipson has done, either.
Gipson has been in coverage for 160 pass plays through four games. He has been targeted just four times, and has yet to surrender a completion. Gipson has one interception.
“I can control what I can control,” Gipson said. “I really never went into a game thinking, 'When Jimmie comes back I don’t know what they’re going to do with me.'
“I just knew, as long as (No.) 31 is on the field, I got to put my body to work out there.”
After Ward’s injury was known to keep him unavailable for at least the first four games of the regular season, the 49ers’ safety situation was viewed as one of the team’s few uncertainties.
But Gipson’s experience and leadership has provided a tremendous complement to the energy and play-making of second-year strong safety Talanoa Hufanga.
Gipson, 32, has been at this for a while. In 2015, he was voted as No. 67 on the NFL’s list of top 100 players. He was coming off a career-best six interceptions and a Pro Bowl while with the Cleveland Browns.
When asked if he is a better player now, Gipson answered, “I’m a smarter player. I’ll tell you that much.”
He said the experience he gained from his seasons with the Browns, Jacksonville, Houston and Chicago has allowed him to compensate mentally for the physical toll of playing so long in the NFL.
“When you're 25 years old, you rely more on your God-given ability than the mental side,” he said. “So when the game slows down 11 years later, you’ve seen pretty much every offense. You’ve seen pretty much everything you need to see. I think that’s why I’ve been able to have some of the success I’ve had this year.”
Gipson said he is grateful for this opportunity with one of the top defenses in the NFL because for the first time this offseason he had questions about his own career.
“Every other time I’ve been a free agent, it’s been eight, 10, 12 teams,” he said. “The phone was ringing it and it was multiple opportunities. Compared to this year, it was just a little quiet.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried. I also knew I didn’t want to just go play anywhere at this stage of my career. I wanted to go to the right team, right fit.”
After Ward’s injury, the 49ers presented Gipson with an opportunity.
He traveled from his offseason home in Dallas to Minnesota, where the 49ers were practicing during the second week of the preseason.
Not since the pre-draft process in 2012 had he taken part in a workout for an NFL team. But that’s what the 49ers asked of Gipson, who missed five games last season due to injuries.
Following Gipson’s impressive workout, the 49ers general manager John Lynch did not keep Gipson in suspense for very long.
“Mr. Lynch told me, ‘Hey, we’re going to sign you,’” Gipson said. “I’m out of breath, I’m sweating, I shook his hand.”
And Gipson has certainly lived up to his end of the bargain.
He began this season on the 49ers’ practice squad, but was elevated for the opener and earned his way into the starting lineup over Tarvarius Moore and George Odum.
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And nothing will change, he said, when Jimmie Ward is back in action. Gipson said he will continue to do whatever is asked of him.
“That’s for Mr. Lynch and coach (Kyle) Shanahan,” Gipson said. “It’s their jobs to determine those things. I was sitting on the couch six weeks ago, so I’m fortunate for the opportunity I’ve been given.
“I’m just happy to be part of something like this. This defense is probably my favorite defense I’ve played on, and I’ve played on some great defenses. I’m excited to be part of it.”