Will 49ers' Dee Winters be able to fill Dre Greenlaw's shoes at linebacker?

San Francisco Chronicle​

26-07-2025

Dee Winters is 24 years old. The third-year linebacker is young, but not in a way that stirs promise for the future. His time is now — or maybe never.
The San Francisco 49ers drafted Oklahoma State linebacker Nick Martin, 22, in the third round as an insurance policy on Winters. General manager John Lynch said at the NFL league meetings, 'We like a lot of what Dee does, but he's got to show that he can fill those shoes.' If last season was any indication, Dre Greenlaw, the former wearer of the shoes in question, owned a size no one else fit. Not even Winters, who started 10 games while Greenlaw was sidelined with an Achilles injury.
'Dre Greenlaw might've been a one of one, one of the best players I've ever played with, especially when he's on the field,' said tight end George Kittle, asked about the team's consistency issues a year ago. 'And, so, it's a challenge to us to find guys in the locker room that we currently have to step up and bring that energy, and bring that juice.'
The 49ers wanted to bring Greenlaw back. The fifth-round gem manned the weak-side spot next to middle linebacker Fred Warner as part of the glue that held the team's defense together, dating to when he made 11 starts as a rookie for the 2019 squad that went to the Super Bowl.
But Greenlaw is a Bronco now, having signed a three-year, $35 million deal with Denver, and Winters was not necessarily viewed as his surefire heir apparent in San Francisco. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has maintained hope that Winters could be ready to hold his own alongside Warner.
'I just think he has his best opportunity right now,' Shanahan said. 'He had a decent one last year, but we were always hoping that Dre could come back.
'He's a guy we believe can be a hell of a player. We're just hoping he fully gets there.'
In addition to a concussion, Winters dealt with injuries to his ankle, chest and neck that interrupted his ability to take charge in Greenlaw's absence. The general consensus at Levi's Stadium seems such that a healthy Winters is more than capable.
'Knock on wood,' defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. 'Young guys like Dee, their growth can get stunted when they're sitting on the bench just watching. There's nothing like doing. … Hopefully he can continue to stay healthy and absorb every single one of these reps and learn all the nuance that's required to play linebacker.'
Echoed Shanahan: 'Hopefully he has good luck avoiding injuries' before adding that Winters 'had a hell of an OTAs' and 'showed that he was capable of doing this.'
He was as healthy in June as he appears to be now. So far, so good.
Warner, in search of a new 'run and hit' partner — a description regularly used by Shanahan and Lynch to describe prototypical 49ers linebackers — gave Winters a glowing endorsement that doubled as a call to action.
'That's going to be the biggest thing for him this training camp, honestly, is just be out there every single day with intent to be better and to really own it,' Warner said. 'If you want it to be yours, it's there for the taking.
'If you want to be that guy, man, go out there and show your teammates, show the coaches, show everybody that you're ready.'
Wednesday marked the team's first training camp session, a chance for Winters to confirm the strong impression he left in OTAs. Brock Purdy threw two picks on Day 1. Winters, whose pass coverage was a bright spot last season, was on the receiving end of one.
Pro Football Focus ranked Winters 80th in overall grade and 168th in run defense, Greenlaw's specialty, among 189 eligible NFL linebackers.
His pass defense? Sixth, and second only to Warner among all 49ers defenders in 2024.
Winters was recently asked about his approach to replacing the impact left behind by Greenlaw. His answer: 'I think it's more important to play as who I am, and that's Dee Winters.'