Santa Clara! Because of a knee injury, rookie safety Ji'Ayir Brown was unable to play in the 49ers' last two regular season games.
He got a chance to hone his skills against a top-tier NFL offense last week when he got back to practice.
In a move that is typically reserved for preseason drills, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan pitted the starting defense against the starting offense at last week's fully padded practice.
Brown cautioned against taking a break from football altogether during the bye week. Playing one-on-one against each other helped you maintain that mentality and pace of the game.
Sitting back and relaxing is never an option, so it keeps you constantly engaged."
While Brown was sidelined with an injury, veteran safety Logan Ryan was named to the starting lineup. In the immediate aftermath of San Francisco's December 5 free agent signing of Ryan, Shanahan gushed over Ryan's performance.
After receiving the all-clear signal, Brown stepped back into the starting lineup he had been in since Talanoa Hufanga suffered a ruptured ACL in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 19.
When the 49ers host the Packers in Saturday night's NFC divisional playoff game at Levi's Stadium, Brown is certain to start in the starting lineup.