A familiar face returns.

The San Francisco 49ers are bringing back veteran safety Tashaun Gipson, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. On Monday, Gipson was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars after he was placed on the exempt/commissioner’s permission list.

Gipson was suspended for the first six games of the season due to violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing policy. However, after the six games were up, Gipson still never made his debut for the Jaguars. His situation is an odd one considering he was placed on the exempt list.

There is possibly more to Gipson’s situation than what has been reported. But if the 49ers are bringing him back, then it is likely minor or nothing at all. Re-signing Gipson makes sense for the 49ers given the instability at the safety position.

Gipson is being signed to the practice squad, so he won’t be returning as a starter. He was the starter for two years and did a fine job at it. The 49ers elected to let Gipson walk most likely due to his age. They knew they needed to get young there, which is part of why they drafted Malik Mustapha.

He has been the only bright spot at safety this year. Ji’Ayir Brown has been underwhelming and will look to step up in the second half of the season. Talanoa Hufanga may be out for the season after he was placed on Injured Reserve with torn ligaments in his wrist.

As a result, Gipson’s return was out of necessity for the 49ers. They get a decent player who will fit in immediately should they need it. This also allows them to keep George Odum as a special team player. He hasn’t been good playing safety this year when he’s been tasked with it.

The 49ers have done some bargain shopping today. First, it was trading for defensive tackle Khalil Davis. Then, it was signing Gipson to the practice squad. The theme of the day is depth for the 49ers, which was needed. It can be chalked up as a successful outing for them.