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49ers coach Kyle Shanahan on Kwon Alexander vs Dre Greenlaw: ‘I don’t see that as an open competition’
Aug 15, 2020 at 1:47 PM
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There has been a little debate surrounding who will start at the WILL linebacker spot this season for the San Francisco 49ers. Kwon Alexander got the nod ahead of
Dre Greenlaw during Saturday's practice, the first of training camp.
The debate had come up because Greenlaw filled in when Alexander was injured last season and played well.
Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters after Saturday's practice via a video conference call and was asked about the potential competition at the spot. The discussion appears to be overblown as the coach doesn't really see it as a competition.
"We compete all the time, so no one just has a job set in stone," Shanahan explained. "But I don't see that as an open competition right now. We brought Kwon here for a reason. (He) did exactly what we wanted when he was out there and did even more than we anticipated from a leadership standpoint.
"Kwon's been great here. That's not to take anything away from Dre. He had a hell of a rookie year. The more he got his opportunities, the better he got. But we've got a few good guys there, and we see that as Kwon's job right now."
Both linebackers are entering their second seasons with San Francisco. The 49ers signed Alexander as a free agent and then drafted Greenlaw in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
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