Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Strengths, weaknesses and X-factors for each position

By Peter Panacy

KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 23: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a quick pass to teammate Matt Breida #22 during the second quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on September 23, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 23: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a quick pass to teammate Matt Breida #22 during the second quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on September 23, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 9
Next
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 28: Linebacker Fred Warner #48 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after an intentional grounding penalty resulted in a safety during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 28: Linebacker Fred Warner #48 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after an intentional grounding penalty resulted in a safety during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Linebacker

In an ideal world, the 49ers would have been able to pair second-year pro Fred Warner with no-longer-a-49ers-linebacker Reuben Foster. But Foster’s legal bouts rendered him off the team, and the Niners were forced to bring aboard former Tampa Bay Buccaneers backer Kwon Alexander in free agency.

All told, though, the Niners may actually enjoy quite the depth at linebacker this season, assuming everyone stays healthy.

Strengths

Warner has proven to be the real deal, leading the 49ers in tackles last season with 124. A full year at the NFL level should only do him good, while a pairing with Alexander creates what could be a very solid linebacking tandem.

Additionally, the Niners’ switch to a wide-9 alignment means the strong-side (SAM) linebacker is off the line of scrimmage more. This makes all three linebackers more interchangeable, increasing the versatility.

Weaknesses

It’s still unclear who winds up occupying the SAM spot in 2019. The veteran, Malcolm Smith, received first-team reps here during OTAs, and one figures he is a candidate. But Smith hasn’t exactly worked out in a San Francisco uniform the last two seasons.

Also, that wide-9 alignment likely means opponents are going to test the 49ers with many more inside runs than before, subjecting this trio to increased wear and tear over the course of the year.

X-Factors

Alexander is coming off a torn ACL in 2018, and it will be interesting to see how well he handles side-to-side movement.

Additionally, both he and Warner dealt with some tackling issues over their respective careers. Warner’s primarily came early his rookie season, so hopefully that’s shored up. But Alexander has a history of it:

We’ll see if Alexander’s new supporting casts cuts down on the number in 2019. But the combination of his injury, along with the likelihood of a lot of inside runs this season creates a bit of worry.