San Francisco 49ers: Identifying 10 cornerstone players for 2018
By Peter Panacy
No. 10: Linebacker Malcolm Smith
The 49ers’ linebacker corps belongs to the rookie, Reuben Foster, and we’ll get to him in a moment. But we shouldn’t forget veteran linebacker Malcolm Smith, whom the Niners inked to a lucrative five-year, $26.5 million free-agent deal last season.
Smith suffered a torn pectoral during training camp, effectively ending his season and depleting what has become a shorthanded linebacking group.
But with former Niners linebacker NaVorro Bowman no longer in the picture, Smith’s role should be very important after his recovery.
In all likelihood, the 49ers place Smith at the WILL linebacker spot where he wouldn’t have to do too much in coverage. Covering opponents’ running backs and linebackers has never been one of Smith’s strengths, although he’d certainly be an upgrade over fellow linebacker Brock Coyle, who is more of a special teams ace than anything else.
San Francisco hopes to get a nice return on its 2017 investment, and Smith needs to play the role.