Curtis Robinson is back after suffering a torn ACL last season, and that might help a Dre Greenlaw-less 49ers defense.
The San Francisco 49ers have already suffered plenty of roster attrition, and the 2025 NFL new year hasn't officially kicked off yet.
Of all the losses, the one that'll sting the most is linebacker Dre Greenlaw departing via free agency to the Denver Broncos on a three-year deal, a contract the Niners likely never were going to match.
Yes, San Francisco still boasts the best linebacker in the game, perennial All-Pro Fred Warner. But, one of the reasons why the 49ers defense had been so great in recent years was because of the Warner-Greenlaw pairing.
Fans who witnessed just how bad the Niners' linebacking group was last year behind Warner and with Greenlaw missing almost all of 2024 can attest to the latter's importance.
It'll be a tough void to cover. But San Francisco hopes a small transaction can help bridge the gap.
49ers re-sign Curtis Robinson to a 1-year deal
The 49ers haven't been overly active on the free-agent market, which isn't surprising in light of their newfound cash-saving measures.
One under-the-radar transaction, a one-year deal given out to depth linebacker Curtis Robinson, might be more important than originally viewed.
News of the deal, reported by The Athletic's Matt Barrows, suggests the Niners want to have some contingency plans in place in the wake of Greenlaw's departure.
Robinson, who was originally scheduled to be a restricted free agent, is also coming off a torn ACL suffered early a year ago. Prior to that, though, he was notably impressive in exhibition action but would have struggled to find a roster spot anyway, given San Francisco's offseason pickup of the now-infamous De'Vondre Campbell.
Campbell, assuredly on his way out the door, paves the way for Robinson's ascent. Likewise, veteran backer Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles was released earlier this offseason, lessening the crop of linebackers who'd otherwise block Robinson from securing a spot on the depth chart.
Robinson, 26 years old, originally joined the 49ers late in 2021 after spending the bulk of his rookie season with Denver.
Since then, Robinson has largely bounced on and off the Niners' practice squad, appearing in 12 total regular-season games for San Francisco since.
If the 49ers think they can get more out of him, then the one-year re-sign deal makes a lot of sense, both in terms of money spent and potential role.
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