49ers training camp 2018: 3 questions yet to be answered

Who will start at inside linebacker?

At the beginning of the offseason, the 49ers appeared to have an inside linebacker problem. The Niners’ defense suffered last year after the release of linebacker NaVorro Bowman, and with Reuben Foster‘s NFL future in question due to a pair of offseason arrests, inside linebacker was a definite position of need for the team.

Just a few months later, the 49ers have a different type of inside linebacker problem, forcing the question, “Do the 49ers have too many inside linebackers?”

While Foster’s status was up in the air, 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan signed linebacker Brock Coyle to a three-year deal, and then added additional talent to the position. The 49ers first signed former Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Korey Toomer, who particularly excels against the run:

Lynch and Shanahan then drafted linebacker Fred Warner — who specialized in pass defense at BYU — in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

With Foster back on the team after his charges were dropped — although he still faces a two-game suspension to start the season — the 49ers have five inside linebackers but just two starting inside linebacker spots.

The Niners opened training camp with their returning starters from 2017 — Coyle and Foster — starting at MIKE and WILL linebacker, but the lineup is likely to change when Malcolm Smith, who was given a starter-caliber contract last offseason, soon returns from injury. Warner — who continues to receive heavy praise from the coaching staff — will also play a factor if the rookie continues his strong start to training camp.

Prediction

Coyle and Smith — if healthy — will likely start for the team during Foster’s initial absence, with Warner filling in on obvious passing downs. Even if the rookie is unable to snag a starting role by Week 1, expect Warner to win a starting job by the season’s end.

When Foster returns, the 49ers should look to move Coyle or Smith — or potentially both — into a rotation at SAM linebacker, due to their prior experience at the position and the team’s general lack of talent at outside linebacker.

While Foster and Warner are the 49ers’ future at the position, Niner fans will have to wait for the duo to start a game together at inside linebacker.