49ers training camp preview: Could Fred Warner line up with surprise LB wingman?
One of the sneaky battles at 49ers training camp could be whether DeVondre Campbell, Dee Winters or someone else emerges as Dre Greenlaw's fill-in at linebacker.
SANTA CLARA – The Super Bowl loss was still fresh when linebacker Fred Warner issued his decree.
“The things that make up a championship team, I know we have those things,” Warner said on Feb. 13. “You have to act the way of a champion before you are a champion. I know it’s not an ‘if.’ It’s just, ‘when.’”
When the 49ers report to training camp July 23, their linebacker unit will have more questions than usual. The biggest question: How do they cover for Dre Greenlaw while he recovers from his Achilles tear in their Super Bowl LVIII loss to Kansas City?
Here is a better picture of the overall linebacker unit as part of our position-by-position camp preview:
WHO’S HERE
Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, De’Vondre Campbel, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Dee Winters, Curtis Robinson, Ezekiel Turner, Jalen Graham, Tatum Bethune
CAMPBELL’S ARRIVAL
Campbell is only three years removed from earning All-Pro honors. He did so in his first season with the Packers, after five years in an Atlanta Falcons scheme that has some similarities to the 49ers’. But at age 31, Campbell must prove his age and experience are a greater benefit as Greenlaw’s placeholder than other options.
WINTERS THAWS OUT
Winters was singled out by Warner for having “the best OTAs out of anybody on the team.” After just 60 defensive snaps as a rookie, the 2023 sixth-round pick is a viable candidate to fill in for Greenlaw. Think back to last year’s draft review, when general manager John Lynch said of Winters: “Comparisons are dangerous because you have to go do it, but he has similar traits to Dre Greenlaw, a similar suddenness to his game.” Warner noted that Winters made plays “left and right” through the offseason practices, so “he’s set himself up to have a great training camp.”
WARNER’S LEADERSHIP
Warner was a unanimous selection for his third All-Pro honor, and there’s no mistaking his value to the 49ers overall. He became a first-time dad this offseason (Beau was born in March), and father knows what’s best for the 49ers’ defense. Warner stayed out of the offseason workouts as his body recovers from another extended season, though his knees did not require extra treatment, unlike past offseasons.
DEPTH DECISISIONS
Flannigan-Fowles ran Warner’s middle-linebacker role through offseason workouts, so he’s extremely versed in the scheme. And Curtis Robinson has toiled in the background for years. Are the 49ers committed to those investments, or are they more curious to bring along Graham and Bethune, who were seventh-round picks in the past two drafts?