49ers roster: 5 players who have a ‘chip on their shoulder’ in 2022
By Peter Panacy
A little motivation never hurt anyone, and these five 49ers players are probably looking to prove themselves just a little bit more than the rest.
Motivation can come in many different forms, and getting professional football players motivated isn’t an exact science.
Sometimes, that motivation can come from widespread doubt, often fueled by the media or even fans. In other cases, it’s a team’s actions elsewhere on the roster that can provide an added bit of motivation.
The San Francisco 49ers, just like the other 31 teams across the NFL, aren’t strangers to this.
Heading into 2022, there are a good number of Niners players who’ll be fighting for a bit more than just a quality season. Maybe those players heard their name called in the media a lot, while others were potentially slighted by San Francisco adding some unexpected competition during the offseason.
At any rate, let’s break down five players on the 49ers roster who are playing with that proverbial “chip on the shoulder” this year.
No. 5: 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw
It’s understandable why third-year defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw showed plenty of frustration towards Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn earlier this offseason. Regardless of whether or not you feel Kinlaw was justified in verbally attacking Cohn matters little here, especially in light of Cohn regularly calling out the 2020 first-round NFL Draft pick.
Instead, the point is Kinlaw should be heading into 2022 with something massive to prove.
After a so-so rookie season, Kinlaw’s knee issues limited him to a mere four games last year, and there are signs he’s trending towards the “bust” moniker instead of living up to his lofty draft status.
Not only will Kinlaw want to prove he can contribute at a high level while staying healthy, but he’d also love nothing more than to “stick it” to people like Cohn who have doubted him up to this point.
That might be motivation enough.