49ers veteran backup might have seized a roster spot after preseason Week 2

Sometimes, the NFL's about what you make of your opportunities when they come to you.

The San Francisco 49ers have been a pretty good example of this in the past, with guys like quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Brock Purdy seizing the briefest of opportunities to impose themselves on the starting lineup.

In preseason, however, taking your opportunity can just be about playing well enough to secure yourself a roster spot, especially given how many players get banged up and miss time during the dog days of camp and the preseason. Being alert to your opportunity is everything.

Plaudits must therefore go to depth linebacker Curtis Robinson, who had a great night against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 of the preseason, starting in lieu of Fred Warner and hotly tipped youngster Dee Winters, both of whom missed the game with minor injuries.

Robinson is a local product with something of a nomadic career. Originally picked up by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford in 2021, he's since bounced between the Niners practice squad and the active roster on several occasions since originally being signed at the end of that season.

Overall, he's appeared in nine regular-season games for San Francisco, recording the same number of tackles on special teams.

Despite the unremarkable pedigree, he's clearly done something right to stick with the team over his tenure. Coming into this summer, multiple training camp reports have had him in the mix for the No. 3 linebacker job, behind presumptive starters Warner and De'Vondre Campbell, as a perceived "veteran" option versus the youth of Winters.

This might have been a mystery to some 49ers fans, particularly having seen little to no production on the field.

That all changed on Sunday night.

While there were no spectacular splash plays, in the absence of Warner, Winters, and the still-injured Dre Greenlaw, Robinson showed himself to be something that might be more important in Greenlaw's likely absence to start the regular season: solid play and reliability.

Robnson finished the game with four total tackles, one of which was for a loss, combined with a quarterback hit and perhaps in his best play, a pass defensed, as he snuffed out a play-action fake by the Saints offense.

Perhaps more importantly, though, he displayed sure tackling and smart anticipation. Robinson was rarely out of position, always around the ball, and made sure to bring his man down when given the chance.

Absolutely none of these things harm your standing with coaches, particularly when you're competing against other players, like Winters, who may flash more exciting plays in isolation but perhaps don't play with the same consistency as someone who has been in the league a little longer.

It won't be easy for Robinson to get or maintain that spot on San Francisco's roster. It's possibly the team's most crowded, and each of the contenders for roster spots are flashing good play at different times in the preseason.

But, given the innate trust and knowledge of the defensive scheme Robinson already has, and the fact he was the first off the bench with Warner and Winters both missing, he should be right in the mix for playing time, and continued consistency should help him lock up a roster spot at one of the most competitive positions on the 49ers roster.

How did you think Robinson played on Sunday night? Is he ready to start games in the NFL?

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