49ers DC Robert Saleh made sure to pump the brakes when it came to praising players since the team doesn’t have pads on, but he’s seeing good things out of a former sixth round pick
Last October, then-San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen felt that the defense needed to get off the field. It was early in the season. To begin the fourth quarter, he made a change at linebacker. Veteran De’Vondre Campbell wasn’t cutting it after the defense surrendered three straight scoring drives. Sorensen put Dee Winters in, and the defense immediately forced a punt.
That was the first sign of the season that youth and speed was what Campbell lacked. Two weeks prior, Winters played roughly seven snaps against the Los Angeles Rams, and his activity and energy is precisely what you look for at linebacker. Winters was going out of his way to find work, and, in this last clip, came flying in like Adam Sandler in The Waterboy:
Dee Winters only played about seven snaps for the 49ers in Week 3. But check out his activity and energy in these four snaps. He’s always looking for work.
Even from training camp, I got Kwon from ’19 vibes. His effort level is infectious and the type you can feed off pic.twitter.com/X6TMfBN1iV
— Kyle Posey (@KP_Show) September 26, 2024
By Week 7, Winters was the 49ers nickel linebacker. He made plays throughout the season, like running stride for stride with DK Metcalf 30 yards down the field and breaking up a pass. Even when Winters missed tackles, he slowed down the running back, making him redirect, and those plays still resulted in tackles for loss.
Winters’ problem was staying off the injury report. He played a season-high in snaps in the latter half of the season in Weeks 13 and 14. He didn’t come off the field against the Bears.
However, Winters being banged up all season never allowed him to get into a rhythm or prove to the coaching staff that he could be a reliable player. Hence, drafting a linebacker in the third round. Because if he were healthy, Campbell’s playing days would have ended long before December.
Fast forward to the mandatory minicamp, and Winters is getting the bulk load of playing time. Fred Warner isn’t practicing. Instead, he’s coaching Winters up on the side, as is linebacker coach Johnny Holland. In fact, Holland was spending time during Wednesday’s practice during individual periods teaching Winters how to juggle — something he’s only done with Warner and Dre Greenlaw.
Robert Saleh was asked about his impressions of Winters during the spring period. Saleh sees a big season coming for Winters:
“He’s been impressive. Again, it’s easy when it’s OTAs, and you do not have to deal with run-pass reads, and everything’s a little bit slower, but he’s got something to him. I don’t want to jinx him or anything, but if he stays on his trajectory and he attacks these next 40 days and he does things the right way, I think he’s due for a heck of a season.”
Since the 49ers are only practicing with helmets on, it’s difficult to gauge traits that truly matter, like physicality or run fits. Still, Winters will always shine in a setting where he can run and cover, and he did just that.
If he can stay healthy, Winters, not Nick Martin, is likely to give the 49ers the closest replacement to Greenlaw on the roster. That’s a big if, which is why Martin was drafted early.