SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - Donte Whitner stepped on the field for the first time with the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, welcoming the responsibility that comes with his new role as the most experienced and highest-paid safety on the team.
Whitner officially signed his three-year deal with San Francisco earlier in the day, giving the 49ers a veteran leader in their revamped secondary and a missing piece in the 3-4 scheme being implemented by new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Whitner's aggressive in-the-box style is well-suited to Fangio's defense, and the sixth-year veteran also is determined to help mend what's broken in a unit that ranked 24th in the NFL last season in passing defense.
"We have a lot of work to do on the back end, and I think everybody here knows it," Whitner said. "We know it in the secondary, and we're looking forward to it. I'm taking responsibility for getting this secondary in San Francisco to be one of the top secondaries in the league. We're a long way from that right now, but we'll get there."
The 49ers will not re-sign Dashon Goldson, leaving their best safety over the past two seasons as a free agent on the open market. San Francisco wanted Goldson back, but when a contract agreement couldn't be reached, the 49ers turned their attention to Whitner, who led all NFL defensive backs last season with 140 tackles for the Buffalo Bills.
Whitner signed a deal reportedly worth $11.75 million with $4 million guaranteed. He chose the 49ers over the Cincinnati Bengals, whom Whitner said offered him a similar contract.
Whitner is the second former first-round draft pick to join San Francisco's secondary this week. Whitner was the No. 8 overall selection of the 2006 NFL draft and cornerback Carlos Rogers, signed to a one-year deal Wednesday, was the No. 9 overall pick of the 2005 draft.
With Whitner taking over at strong safety, the 49ers can move fourth-year veteran Reggie Smith to his natural position of free safety, where Goldson had started San Francisco's last 32 games. Smith broke into the starting lineup at strong safety near midseason last year and showed enough promise for the team's new coaching staff to make him a part of their plans moving forward.
Whitner is excited about the potential of pairing with Smith at a position that will hold different responsibilities for the 49ers than it has in the past.
"I do think it's a good complement," Whitner said. "Reggie can make plays and he really knows what he's doing out there. You have two different skill sets, and especially in this type of defense - the 3-4 where you want to come after guys - you have to have guys with two different skill sets.
"You have to have a guy who likes to cover and get to the middle of the field and get his hands on the football, and you have to have a guy who can roam around and really understand the game, and make plays with his eyes, help the guys around him and just do anything. I think that's the mold I'm going to be in this year."
Whitner is known for getting to the football near the line of scrimmage. He was fifth in the NFL in tackles last season and has been doing that since recording 104 tackles in his first season.
Whitner's production reached another level last year when Buffalo switched to a 3-4 system that's similar to what he'll be playing in with the 49ers. He also recorded a career high with seven passes defensed while starting all 16 games for the first time.
Coming off his best season, Whitner also will fill a leadership void on a San Francisco defense that has lost five players that started all 16 games for the 49ers last season, among them Goldson and cornerback Nate Clements, who was released last week to cut salary.
"Donte's a great player and it's good to have a seasoned vet out here," Smith said. "He's been in the league awhile and there's probably a lot of stuff I can learn from him. He's going to help us a lot here."