Dee Winters has been patiently waiting for his opportunity to step up for the San Francisco 49ers, and 2025 could be his moment. With Dre Greenlaw now in Denver, Winters is competing to line up alongside All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner as the team's starting Will linebacker.

Warner is already impressed by Winters' growth this offseason.


"I've seen a lot of growth, honestly," Warner said earlier this week. "I've seen a guy who's ready to take that next step. Dee has flashed in a big way through his first two seasons, and I think Year 3 is that year where it's like, 'Man, I know the system, I know what I needed to do in the offseason, and now it's time for me to take control and really put it on tape.'

"I'm excited for Dee, really. I think he had a great OTAs. I know that he's been working his tail off to be ready for training camp. So, I'm excited to see what he's going to do."

Winters is grateful for the support and determined to take full advantage of the opportunity.

"It means the world," Winters said. "It gives me confidence to go out there and just give me that mindset. I'm here to compete, just as everybody else is, but just to have him on my side has been amazing."

Replacing Greenlaw comes with lofty expectations, but Winters is focused on his own game rather than trying to be someone else.


"At the end of the day, I think it's more important to play as who I am and as Dee Winters, and just go out there and do my job, play my style of football," Winters said. "... He (Greenlaw) was a great example of how to play the Will linebacker—downhill, fast, can cover. He can do it all, and that's something that I need to keep in mind in my game and moving forward."


Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh believes Winters has what it takes to earn the starting job, acknowledging that the linebacker has faced adversity early in his career.

"I know that he's been battling injury, and that's kind of hampered his development a little bit," Saleh said. "He's also had to sit behind Dre, and then De'Vondre [Campbell] came in, and he had to sit behind him because he was nursing an injury.

"Again, just like any young guy, the only way they're gonna get better is with reps. So young guys like Dee, their growth can get stunted when they're sitting on the bench just watching. There's nothing like doing.

"So, he had an opportunity the last half of last year to get some reps in, and it just feels like every day he's learning something, again, just through repetition. Knock on wood, hopefully, he can continue to stay healthy, and absorb every single one of these reps, and learn all the nuances that's required to play linebacker. I think, if he does, he's going to be a fun player to watch."


Despite the 49ers' disappointing 2024 season, which ended with a 6-11 record, Winters believes it was a crucial learning experience.

"I think I gained a little bit of game experience," Winters said. "Being one of the oldest guys now in the room, my third year with [2023 seventh-round draft pick] Jalen [Graham] and a couple of older guys, but I think it's just given me experience to go out there and, if I see something, I can play to the best of my ability."

Winters is competing with third-round draft pick Nick Martin, but welcomes the challenge and is committed to helping his teammates succeed.

"It's good to have competition," Winters said. "I'm here for Nick if he ever needs any help, learning the Will position, but at the end of the day, it's a competition, and I'm very excited for it."

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