The San Francisco 49ers have several positions where they are seemingly overstuffed with players. Wide receiver and cornerback stand out as two spots where they will have several guys competing, but linebacker is another position where they’ve got plenty of depth.
That makes a lot of sense, given how far down the depth chart the Niners had to go last season. They literally had to start guys who joined the team after Thanksgiving in the playoffs, and they actually did quite well.
One of those players was linebacker Garret Wallow, and he is the exact kind of fringe player who'd be a pleasant shock to fans if he made the squad.
Wallow has mainly a been a practice squad guy in his career. The Niners scooped him up after the Denver Broncos got rid of him last season, and he played well. He had just four combined tackles in the regular season, but injuries forced Wallow to start both of San Francisco's playoff games where he recorded 12 tackles.
He’s a very solid depth guy to have, but it’s hard to envision Wallow making the 53-man roster, given the names he’ll have to contend with. Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw are obviously going to be the starters, assuming they are healthy. Tatum Bethune should be third on the depth chart since he played well last season when filling in for Warner. Luke Gifford should also have a roster spot because he’s a solid special teams player.
After that, the competition could be fierce for the last few spots since the Niners will usually only carry five or six linebackers on the 53-man roster. Nick Martin was a bit disappointing last year as a rookie, but the Niners probably don’t want to give up on him just yet. Plus, freshly drafted Jaden Dugger has drawn some early rave reviews and could be used in multiple ways on defense.
Jalen Graham is in the mix as well, although he seems like a possible cut candidate since he hasn’t produced much in his early career.
That means Wallow may be competing with Martin for that final spot on the roster, or he may just end up being a practice squad guy which wouldn’t be a shock, given his career history.
If Wallow impresses in training camp and the preseason, though, there’s a chance he could make it. He’d probably see most of his action on special teams, but we learned last season just how quick a team can lose basically all of its linebackers, so Wallow is a good depth option to have no matter what.
Add us as a preferred source on Google