The toughest battle on the 49ers roster might be at this position

At kickoff of the Super Bowl in February, it would've been insane to suggest that by the start of the next season, linebacker would be one of the most hotly contested spots on the San Francisco 49ers roster.

Fred Warner has held the position down for years, and Dre Greenlaw parlayed a slow start with the team into a regular starting role. Depending on who you ask, some might even think Greenlaw is more important to the defense than Warner is.

Couple that with a rotating cast of characters from now-Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to current contender for longest name on the 49ers roster in Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, and it seemed like the starting spots, as well as most of the roster spots, were locked down for a while.

But, of course, things change.

Greenlaw's Achilles tear in the Super Bowl, likely to keep him out for at least half of the season, opened up a land rush at the position. Suddenly, there's a possibility to hold a starting job on a Super Bowl-chasing team for at least part of 2024.

Given the 49ers' cap considerations, it's also not altogether wild to think that if you were to take the job and impress, that you might push Greenlaw, who isn't signed beyond this year, off the roster entirely going into next season. Also, with veteran Oren Burks having left in free agency, and Flannigan-Fowles having a tenuous hold on a roster spot, everything bar Warner's spot on the team is likely up for grabs.

That's probably why most of the eye-catching defensive performances from the 49ers' two preseason games have come at the position.

There can be no doubt Warner, short of having a bomb dropped on him, will be the man in the middle for the 49ers in Week 1 against the New York Jets. You would also probably be safe to assume that, if De'Vondre Campbell continues to improve his play (as he did when given some time this week), that he'll be safe in a roster spot at the very least.

Beyond that? It's a number of players vying for an unknown number of spots.

The team has generally kept six linebackers in the past, particularly in light of certain players, like Jalen Graham, being useful on special teams. But current projections have the 49ers keeping anywhere between five and seven at the position. There are currently seven healthy (plus Greenlaw, making eight) on the roster, so there's going to be one very unlucky player who's likely to be on the outside looking in, or if there's a number crunch elsewhere, possibly two.

Outside of Warner, Campbell, and Flannigan-Fowles, those vying for spots are two ascending young players in Dee Winters and Jalen Graham, the experienced veteran Curtis Robinson, and neophyte rookie Tatum Bethune.

All have impressed to particular degrees in preseason.

Winters offered a glimpse of his potential in the preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans, playing fast and aggressive from his first snap and having several moments that showed up well on film. While there were some inconsistencies in his game, not least his tackling in places, he seems to have the ear of the coaching staff, and also caught the eye of Warner.

Winters missed the second preseason game, however, giving others opportunity to impress.

One player who took that chance was the comparative veteran Curtis Robinson, who while not producing viral plays from flashing across the field, probably showed something the 49ers have traditionally valued more at the position: competence, solidity and knowing your assignment.

In many ways, his recent games have had echoes of how Flannigan-Fowles has continually made 49ers rosters: making veteran, savvy plays in two phases of the game.

Robinson seems to have solidified a roster spot this offseason.

Graham often gets forgotten, being the draft mate of the higher-regarded Winters, but he's produced solid play when called upon in games, particularly on special teams. He's started to add a little more to his defensive game now as well, finishing his game against the New Orleans Saints with six total tackles and a sack. He certainly looked to be playing fast and instinctive throughout the game, and as his experience grows, his confidence seems to follow.

The wild card in the group may actually be the most intriguing in seventh-round draft choice Tatum Bethune. While he wasn't given much of a chance to make the roster before the start of the offseason, he's knuckled down to put himself in the conversation.

Watching either preseason game so far has seen him jump off the screen at various different points, consistently making plays against the opposing offense. He followed up a strong performance against the Titans by again leading the team in tackles against the Saints, recording nine, one of which was for a loss.

He's got a real "stat sheet stuffer" quality about his play, and in a scenario where so many young players, particularly rookies, are washed out of preseason games in their first experience of the NFL level, the fact the's been able to show himself so vividly will not have hurt him at all in the eyes of the coaches.

Moreover, he seems to have good instincts and great closing speed. It's possible that it might be a year too early for him to crack the 53-man roster, but one way or another, the 49ers should try and find a way to keep his talent within the system.

With all seven players showing out to some degree, the 49ers have some tough decisions to make in the coming week and a half. It looks to be by far the hardest position on the roster to call, as the team could back the likes of Winters, Graham and Bethune, and have a real youth movement at the position (perhaps not a bad idea, given Campbell's age and Flannigan-Fowles and Greenlaw's contract situations), or stick with solid and trusted veterans like Robinson and Flannigan-Fowles.

Most likely, it'll be a combination of the two, but whoever they cut, it seems likely the 49ers will be losing NFL-capable players at the spot.

It's a nice problem to have, but it'll keep the 49ers brass busy.

Who would you keep at the linebacker position, if you were in John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan's shoes?

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