The San Francisco 49ers have tough shoes to fill in the wake of star linebacker Dre Greenlaw departing via free agency to the Denver Broncos last March.
When Greenlaw and the Broncos head to the Bay Area for both joint practices and a preseason opener this week, they'll get a firsthand look at how the Niners went about replacing him on the depth chart behind All-Pro Fred Warner.
Initially, it appeared as if San Francisco wanted an open competition between third-year pro Dee Winters and its Round 3 pick from last April's NFL Draft, Nick Martin.
For a while, the two seemed neck and neck in this bout to earn the right to start alongside Warner.
However, with time still remaining before an official depth chart is released, it appears as if Winters has fully locked in the starting gig over the rookie.
Dee Winters locked up starting linebacker gig
There's no official announcement, of course, and "starting" is a bit confusing in football terms, as merely being on the field for the first snap of a game doesn't automatically equate to getting the most snaps over all four quarters.
That said, Winters separated himself from Martin over the last week-plus of camp, earning plenty of praise from both coaches and media pundits alike.
Case in point, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh shed plenty of praise on Winters' ascent following a Tuesday practice.
"His coverage ability is as good as anybody," Saleh said of Winters, recalling one play where the linebacker had to cover All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey and subsequently forced an incompletion. "You trust him in those situations. Normally with a guy like Christian on the field, you're not going to want to be in a call that puts it back one-on-one. But we gave him the opportunity, and he won. With every passing day, he builds more trust that he can do that."
Sports Illustrated's Grant Cohn described the play in more detail:
"Ran stride for stride with Christian McCaffrey down the field and broke up a deep pass from Purdy that was intended for McCaffrey, who couldn't pull away from Winters as he probably would have two years ago. More on McCaffrey in a minute. Winters is having a terrific camp in coverage."
While Martin hasn't bottomed out by any means or reports, it's seemingly clear Winters' ascent from being a reserve and fringe starter the previous two years has taken that proverbial next-level leap.
Saleh, who has a linebackers background during his own coaching ascent, helped developed both Warner and Greenlaw, followed by other once-unheralded backers like Azeez Al-Shaair of the Houston Texans.
2025 marks the first season Winters has worked under Saleh, who came aboard during the offseason for his second stint in the Bay Area.
But, based on the latest buzz from camp, it appears as if the 2023 Niners draftee is making the absolute most out of it and claimed a starting gig as a result.