SANTA CLARA – The status of Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk is a mystery for the 49ers. Maybe they are going to work out their contract issues and get on the sector soon, possibly not.
There is not any such drama at linebacker, knowing that Dre Greenlaw can be a spectator for not less than 4 weeks while he rehabs his Achilles tendon tear in Super Bowl LVIII. And that's the best-case scenario.
This is not any small feat. Greenlaw has been All-Pro Fred Warner's trusted sidekick since 2020, and particularly the last two years, and far of the 49ers' aggressiveness comes from him.
The 49ers got to see not less than a part of the answer at practice on Sunday when sophomore linebacker Dee Winters broke off a pass route while the offense was being pushed back. Had he held on, it could have been a defensive touchdown. Winters was also seen going stride-for-stride with Christian McCaffrey in one-on-one drills.
“I've played a few games during camp,” Winters said. “I think it just comes with reps. I'm starting to get more confident and when I see a formation, I know what's coming and I expect there was a lot of emphasis on that with this year's installation. I think I'm doing a good job.”
While Warner rested his body and Greenlaw recovered, Winters took full advantage of the offseason snaps in OTA. Warner watched the sport closely and even went to this point as to say that Winters “had the best OTAs of anyone on the team.”
“I think I've just been more focused on the details,” Winters said Sunday. “I study the plays more closely, the little details in the scheme, and I use those things to give me an advantage over my opponents.”
Experienced De'Vondre Campbell, an All-Pro with the Green Bay Packers in 2021, was signed in light of Greenlaw's absence and can play alongside Warner from the beginning, in accordance with defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen.
“De'Vondre is out there with Fred,” Sorensen said when asked which two linebackers would stay on the sector in a nickel defense.
But Winters, together with fellow second-year guard Jalen Graham and veteran Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, are in the combo if the 49ers use three linebackers. Winters' size (6-foot-3, 220 kilos) makes TCU's sixth-round draft pick almost a physical clone of Greenlaw, and his ability in coverage could make him a threat to exchange Campbell, depending on how long Greenlaw is out.
At practice on Saturday, Greenlaw went to the sidelines and openly cheered on Winters, who, like Graham, had soaked up every thing he could get from the 2 mainstays last season.
“Last year, I was just trying to steal the gems from those two guys, Dre and Fred, and improve my game and get to that level,” Winters said. “Their support means a lot to me. It always gives me confidence. It lets me know, 'Hey, you're doing a good job, you're just battling. When you have guys like that cheering you on, you can't go wrong.'”
Campbell, for his part, will lend all of his available expertise to Winters, Graham and seventh-round rookie pick Tatum Bethune, a 31-year-old veteran with 115 games (110 starts) for Atlanta, Arizona and Green Bay.
“He's got a lot of experience,” Winters said. “He's seen pretty much everything. Being able to recognize offensive tendencies was huge in our room and he helped us, me, Jalen and Tatum and did a good job.”
Sorensen is convinced that the linebacker team is on the identical wavelength.
“I think you see that with a lot of the guys we've brought in, period. They're exactly our type,” Sorensen said. “They care and it makes sense for them.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan all the time hopes that second-year players like Winters and Graham will significantly improve their performance, but after the relief of completing a rookie season, that is usually a double-edged sword.
“You want them to make that big jump,” Shanahan said. “But the second year is also sometimes the worst because a lot of guys finish college and try so hard to make it to the league that they don't think too much. The first season is over and they sit back and relax. That's why a lot of guys have a slump in their second year. It usually goes one way or the other.”
Winters admits that as a newcomer he sometimes felt overwhelmed.
“Last year, my mind was all over the place, trying to find my role on the team,” Winters said. “Special teams, defense, every day there's a new installation. It all happened so fast for me. It was great to have a year behind me and then go out and play fast.”
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