Potential 49ers LB battle denied by defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen
The San Francisco 49ers have consistently rolled out one of the NFL's best linebacking groups over the last five seasons.
Now that unit's dominance is in jeopardy following Dre Greenlaw's Achilles tear in the Super Bowl.
The 49ers are hopeful veteran De'Vondre Campbell can pick up the slack at the Will linebacker spot. Campbell as the WLB would be on the field in base and sub-packages with LB Fred Warner. There's an open competition for the Sam linebacker job, which is only on the field in the base defense.
Second-year LBs Dee Winters and Jalen Graham have received praise from defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen for their strong training camp performances. They both figure to be competitors for the SLB job. However, there was some speculation they could contend with Campbell for the starting WLB spot.
Sorensen after Sunday's practice flatly shut down a question about Graham or Winters nabbing that job.
“Well De’Vondre is, he's out there with Fred," Sorensen said. "It's just a good group of linebackers. I think a lot of those guys, even [LB] Zeke Turner who is new, he's come in, he's fit in. [LB] Curtis Robinson has had a nice camp. And [LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles] Flann, when he's back healthy, the times he's been in, he's always been a staple for us, that can play all three positions. And even [LB] Tatum Bethune, one of our late round picks, he's done a nice job. He's starting to grasp it well. I think you see that with a lot of the guys that we brought in, period. They’re our type of guys. They care and it makes sense to them and they're starting to, we've got this great competitive group on defense on all levels and that's the part that's exciting.”
A masterclass in sidestepping a question by the newly-minted 49ers DC.
The compliments for the entire LB corps are nice, but there was a clear indication that the WLB spot is spoken for.
The 49ers added Campbell in the offseason on a one-year contract. He's 31 and a former All-Pro, making him a fine veteran replacement for Greenlaw. His one-year deal worth $5 million with $4.56 million guaranteed is an indicator the 49ers plan to play him. A lot.
It'll be an interesting subplot of the preseason to see which LBs line up with what units throughout the three-game exhibition slate. Perhaps there really is no room for movement. Campbell may have a resurgence next to Warner after a couple of down years. The 49ers are certainly hoping that's the case.
If it isn't, the door should be open to one of the young LBs getting a chance at that WLB job. It might be the best thing for the 49ers now and in the future when they have to reshuffle their LB corps again.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Potential 49ers LB battle denied by defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen
