San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dee Winters learned a great deal from former teammate Dre Greenlaw during their time together. However, when it became clear that Greenlaw would not return to the team in 2025, the former sixth-round draft pick saw an opportunity—and moved to seize it.
Winters joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Thursday and shared that his primary focus this offseason became earning the starting weak-side linebacker spot following Greenlaw's departure to the Denver Broncos.
"That was the main goal this offseason," Winters said. "Once I saw Dre leave, I was just like, 'I'm going to do everything that I can to prove that I belong here, and the 49ers made the right decision to draft me.'
"And I just had that mindset throughout the whole offseason, and I was very excited to come out here and display what I had."
That focus translated into an intense offseason training regimen. Winters emphasized improving several aspects of his game.
"The first thing I really focused on is the things that I could do better," Winters explained. "That was the run game, that was the pass game. So, implementing those things, and to certain drills in the offseason, and most importantly, just getting my body back to 100% was one of the main priorities. I felt like I had a good amount of time to do that.
"And getting the playbook as well, feel as confident as I could to come in and take the position."
Winters has been one of the early standouts in training camp and appears to be the frontrunner to line up next to All-Pro Fred Warner in the starting lineup. Still, he faces competition from rookie linebacker Nick Martin, a third-round pick who has also flashed potential this summer.
Winters welcomes the competition, but is also doing whatever he can to help his new teammate.
"Nick is probably one of the most explosive dudes I've been around," Winters said. "The violence that he brings, his explosiveness, and honestly, just his mindset every day to come and get better. It's been nothing but great vibes from him, and I'm excited to help him."
You can listen to Winters' entire interview below.