Niners Believe Veteran Wheeler Can Help at Inside Linebacker
With the loss of Chris Borland and Patrick Willis to retirement, the 49ers went into the recent NFL Draft in need of inside linebacker depth.Yet San Francisco general manager Trent Baalke didn't use a single pick on an inside linebacker. Instead, he's hoping players already on the roster – such as Nick Moody and Shayne Skov – can step into a bigger role. Baalke also signed 30-year-old veteran Philip Wheeler just before the draft, hoping Wheeler can regain the form that made him a consistent contributor during a seven-year career that began with Indianapolis in 2008.Since being a third-round pick of the Colts out of Georgia Tech, Wheeler has played mostly outside linebacker, has started 60 of 108 NFL games and has been a noticeable player, with his long hair flying out from under his helmet. Just two seasons ago, he started 16 games at outside linebacker for the Raiders and was in on 109 tackles, had a career-high three sacks and forced two fumbles.Yet Wheeler fell out of favor in Miami last season. After starting 16 games in 2013, he started just four in 2014 and was in on just 45 tackles. He was released by Miami in March in a salary-cap move and signed by the 49ers...
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