The San Francisco 49ers are going through a rash of injuries again this season. We are about one-third of the way through the 2026 season, and we're already seeing a plethora of players suffer significant bumps and bruises.
One player, however, will miss the 49ers' Monday Night Football matchup with the Washington Commanders due to something completely unrelated to injury.
In Week 5, 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw was involved in a sideline altercation with linebacker Ernest Jones IV of the Seattle Seahawks. Greenlaw ended up headbutting Jones (who was helmetless) and was ejected for that action.
The 49ers went on to win that battle 32-29 against Seattle, but did so for much of the game without Greenlaw. Now he will have to serve a one-game suspension on Monday.
Dre Greenlaw's loss is 49ers rookie Jaden Dugger's gain
This situation now opens the door for one of the team's rookies to get more experience.
Enter rookie linebacker Jaden Dugger. He was taken in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Louisiana and hasn't disappointed thus far. After posting a strong camp, Dugger has already begun to earn his stripes, registering 18 tackles and a sack through five weeks while also showing the versatility that made him such an enticing prospect.
Dugger has gotten two starts so far this season, in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams and in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals. However, the most he appeared in any of those games was 55 percent of the snaps on defense.
With Greenlaw's ejection in Week 5, Dugger was in on nearly 75 percent of the defensive snaps, and he did not disappoint, racking up seven solo tackles to go along with a sack. Dugger ended up with the fifth-best PFF grade on the defensive side of the ball at an impressive 83.3.
Now, with Greenlaw being suspended for the upcoming MNF game against the Commanders, Dugger should be in line for yet another start.
This will be his moment on Primetime to show that he belongs with the likes of Greenlaw and four-time All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner.
If he can put up a similar effort as he did against the Seahawks, the sky is the limit for him. Dugger will prove to be another fifth-round draft steal for general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan.
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