49ers roster: 2022 means a lot for Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles

On the edge of the 49ers roster entering 2022, linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles still has to prove he belongs amid stiffer competition.

By this point in his career, it’s pretty clear San Francisco 49ers linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles is going to hover between being a modest backup and special teams ace and someone who might perennially find himself bouncing around as a journeyman player.

Yet the Niners have seemingly valued the undrafted free agent out of Arizona who signed with the team in 2019 but spent his rookie season on the practice squad before finally getting a crack at things in 2020 amid all the injuries San Francisco suffered that season.

It wasn’t much of a dent for the converted safety, yet the 49ers elected to keep retaining him, both through 2021 and now into 2022, even giving him a shot at starting two games last season.

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Generated 6/4/2022.

A nearly year-long injury to fellow linebacker Dre Greenlaw in 2021 opened up the door for Flannigan-Fowles to see those starts, but Azeez Al-Shaair was the primary beneficiary of Greenlaw being out.

With both players healthy and back on the roster, Flannigan-Fowles gets pushed back to the periphery where he’ll have some competition, namely with newly acquired former Green Bay Packers linebacker Oren Burks.

Should that endanger Flannigan-Fowles’ hold on a roster spot? Let’s take a look.

Why Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles improves for 49ers in 2022

About the only way Flannigan-Fowles gets an uptick in defensive snaps this season is if injuries once again plague the Niners’ linebacking corps, knocking out either Al-Shaair, Greenlaw or Fred Warner at any point over the year.

Assuming that doesn’t take place, Flannigan-Fowles is likely tabbed as a special teams ace once more where he saw 336 special teams snaps a year ago over 17 games.

In this regard, Pro Football Focus awarded him with a modest-but-respectable 69.7 special teams grade in 2021, citing him as having missed one tackle but making six.

Perhaps that number jumps a bit, as he’s now entering year four of his pro career and should easily capitalize on the experience gained from his first substantial season in the NFL.

Why Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles flames out with 49ers in 2022

While San Francisco has appeared to appreciate Flannigan-Fowles’ abilities as a special teams ace, combined with his previous collegiate experience as a coverage option, there’s been nothing to truly stand out about him as a player.

He did have that one preseason interception against the Los Angeles Chargers a year ago, but let’s not get too hung up over that. And if the 49ers are banking on Burks being a better special teams option after signing him during the offseason, Flannigan-Fowles could easily be pushed to the periphery.

Particularly if one of the three undrafted rookie linebackers the Niners grabbed entering 2022 — Jeremiah Gemmel, Marcelino McCrary-Ball or Segun Olubi — make more headway in training camp and prove to be better options.

Chances Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles makes 49ers’ 53-man roster

Flannigan-Fowles is squarely on the roster bubble heading towards training camp, and there’s no getting around that. And while San Francisco elected to bring him back on a restricted free-agent tender for 2022, the deal carries zero in guaranteed money and would be worth less than $900,000 if he stays on the roster for all of the upcoming season.

However, one should assume he has a leg up over those three aforementioned UDFA rookies, and his seldom-seen but apparent abilities as a coverage linebacker should give him an edge, too, as Burks was notably not so great in coverage during organized team activities.

The 49ers are likely to keep five linebackers on their 53-man roster this season, and we can already include Warner, Greenlaw and Al-Shaair in that mix. Burks, too, if only for his special teams prowess, meaning Flannigan-Fowles should be viewed as the top candidate for the No. 5 spot.

Yet the pending free agent in 2023 will want to showcase his value as much as possible, both to retain that spot over the duration of the upcoming season and to capitalize on whatever new deal might await him a little less than a year from now.