Niner Noise
FanSided

49ers roster bubble-watch breakdown after 2019 minicamp

By Peter Panacy

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 25: San Francisco 49ers guard Adam Snyder warms up during a San Francisco 49ers training session at Allianz Park on October 25, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 25: San Francisco 49ers guard Adam Snyder warms up during a San Francisco 49ers training session at Allianz Park on October 25, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 28: Linebacker Malcolm Smith #51 of the San Francisco 49ers tackles tight end Jermaine Gresham #84 of the Arizona Cardinals during the fourth quarter at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 28: Linebacker Malcolm Smith #51 of the San Francisco 49ers tackles tight end Jermaine Gresham #84 of the Arizona Cardinals during the fourth quarter at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Linebacker

Lock: Kwon Alexander, Dre Greenlaw, David Mayo, Malcolm Smith, Fred Warner

Strong Bubble: Elijah Lee, Mark Nzeocha

Weak Bubble: None

Long Shot: Azeez Al-Shaair, LaRoy Reynolds

The 49ers are already dealing with some injury notes at linebacker. Kwon Alexander is still recovering from his 2018 ACL tear, while second-year pro Fred Warner will be out until training camp with a minor knee issue.

Both players are expected to start the regular season, however.

Things get a bit more interesting after that, though, but at least the two players’ injuries have opened up the door for guys like Malcolm Smith and the rookie, Dre Greenlaw, to get increased looks.

Smith has been seeing time at SAM linebacker with the first-team unit, while Greenlaw is projected to be a primary backup.

This pushes depth linebackers Elijah Lee and Mark Nzeocha onto the bubble. But San Francisco likes what both offer on special teams, and the fact Lee pushed Smith out of a starting job late last year says something. One might imagine the Niners keeping at least one of those two.