49ers: 5 bottom-of-the-roster players to watch this preseason

49ers Player to Watch No. 3: Linebacker Jonas Griffith

One player’s injury can open up a slew of opportunities for other players buried deeper on the depth chart, and such could be the case for Niners reserve linebacker Jonas Griffith in the wake of presumed No. 3 linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair suffering a knee injury in practice.

Al-Shaair’s injury isn’t expected to be major, but he’s likely to miss the next few weeks while recovering, opening up the door for Griffith, the second-year pro and former undrafted free agent, to see some valuable field reps between now and the preseason’s conclusion.

Griffith already put a stamp on his training camp efforts already by recording the lone interception thrown by Trey Lance so far during practices, which was broken down by the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman:

"Lance threw his first interception of camp — after only one in 318 career passes at North Dakota State — and it came on a pass over the middle into the end zone, where linebacker Jonas Griffith snagged it."

Plays like that might be enough to ensure Griffith sees more playing time over the two undrafted rookies San Francisco onboarded this year, Elijah Sullivan and Justin Hilliard, and continued strong play during preseason bouts could ultimately mean Griffith secures a likely No. 4 spot on the depth chart behind Al-Shaair, Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner.