49ers should bump these 3 players down the depth chart after Week 2

Unfortunately, the old axiom of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" doesn't apply to sports writing, because there wasn't much good to say about the San Francisco 49ers' performance on Sunday in Minnesota against the Vikings.

But we are going to talk about it.

A number of issues re-occurred that have followed the Niners through multiple seasons in early, Eastern-Time kickoff games: lethargic play, individual errors, and bizarre play-calling. It's hard to have singular players take the burden for the entire loss, as outside of defensive end Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner and possibly wide receiverDeebo Samuel, no one wearing a San Francisco jersey was anywhere near the required level.

However, some players stood out as issues more than most, and we'll take a look at who they were, and who might replace them on the depth chart.

Linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles

Linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles is the epitome of the conservatism of NFL coaching. He's held onto a roster spot since coming off the practice squad in 2020, and, since fellow backer Azeez Al-Shaair left for the Tennessee Titans in 2023, Flannigan-Fowles has been the 49ers' de facto "third linebacker" behind Warner and Dre Greenlaw. Since Greenlaw's horrendous injury in the Super Bowl, Flannigan-Fowles' hold on a place in the starting lineup seems to be insurmountable.

The problem is he's not particularly good at anything on defense. He's been an excellent special teams player at times (that's how he earned a roster spot in the first place) but he's overaggressive against the run and ponderous in coverage.

Almost every game that's resulted in a start or significant playing time for Flannigan-Fowles has seen a noticeable drop-off in defensive production, exemplified by that Super Bowl second half covering Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

So, why does Flannigan-Fowles still play?

Ultimately, he's earned the tag of "solid veteran," which, true or not, NFL coaches are loathe to pull out of lineups, even after it's long become clear the player has hit a talent ceiling.

The 49ers need Dre Greenlaw back in the worst way. But in the meantime, someone like Dee Winters or preseason star Curtis Robinson (who looked far faster, more decisive, and effective in game action) should be penciled into his spot in the linup. Perhaps Winters' injury has prevented him from being so?

It's important not to dump just on Flannigan-Fowles, by the way. This could've also applied to fellow linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, who has less than sparkled since coming in in free agency, with similar issues.

Campbell does, however, at least have a body of work suggesting that he could reach a useful level again.