Dre Greenlaw’s replacement? First up is Dee Winters, the 49ers linebacker making a leap

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On the third play of a practice this spring, Dee Winters got fooled.

The young 49ers linebacker positioned himself across from a tight end in a bunch formation. Winters then gambled on an out-breaking route. He came up empty — the tight end instead broke inside and hauled in a reception.

“The next time I see that formation,” Winters said Thursday, recalling a conversation with himself, “I’ll make a play.”

This the NFL, where the devil is in the tiniest details. And Winters was rewarded for recognizing that when he lined up early in the first practice of 49ers training camp Wednesday.

There was that same exact offensive formation. Winters immediately recognized it. He eyed tight end Luke Farrell and prepared to undo the spring’s mistake.

Winters broke inward, essentially running Farrell’s route a split second ahead of the tight end. He snatched quarterback Brock Purdy’s throw out of midair and sprinted in the opposite direction for what might’ve been a pick six in an actual game.

Alas, most practice plays are whistled dead before players have a chance to score, but not to worry — 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh had already taken note of Winters’ latest progress.

“Just like any young player, the only way he’s going to get better is by reps,” Saleh said Thursday. “It just feels like every day, he’s learning something just by repetition. So, knock on wood, hopefully he can continue to stay healthy and absorb every single one of these reps and learn the nuance required to play linebacker.

“If he does, I think he’s going to be a fun player to watch.”

Only two defensive players, Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, remain with the 49ers from the last time Saleh was the team’s defensive coordinator (he left to be head coach of the New York Jets in early 2021). The 49ers picked Winters in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, so Saleh had to play catch-up over the past several months as he familiarized himself with the 24-year-old linebacker’s game.

On tape, Saleh was greeted with some undeniably impressive plays. There was the time in November 2024 when Winters blanketed former Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf — one of the NFL’s best athletes — for 25 yards before notching a pass breakup. There were plentiful displays of speed. Winters, after all, was a wide receiver in high school and recruited to TCU as a safety before he switched to linebacker. He has the background of a big speedster, which the 49ers crave at the linebacker position.

But following a tumultuous season at the position in which Dre Greenlaw managed only 34 snaps and De’Vondre Campbell quit on the team, they’re also starved for consistency next to the superstar Warner — and Winters hasn’t yet had a clear runway to showcase it.

Campbell’s presence on the roster and a smattering of injuries have sidetracked Winters so far, but a golden opportunity is here. Following Greenlaw’s departure, the 49ers overhauled their linebacker room. Rookies Nick Martin and Stone Blanton (who intercepted 49ers backup QB Tanner Mordecai on Thursday) are in alongside veterans Luke Gifford and Chazz Surratt.

For the first time, Winters is the clear No. 2 in the 49ers’ pecking order, a role he can solidify with consistency in the coming weeks and months.

“He’s got a cool chance,” Saleh said. “I know that he’s been battling injury, and that’s hampered his development a little bit. Young guys like Dee, their growth can get stunted when they’re sitting on the bench just watching. There’s nothing like doing.”

And there’s nothing like competing. The 49ers have a lot of that set up for the long camp ahead, with much focus on Martin’s potential ability to quickly ascend the depth chart.

“It’s good to have competition,” Winters said. “I’m here for Nick if he ever needs any help learning the Will [linebacker] position, but at the end of the day, it’s a competition — and I’m very excited for it.”

• Rookie receiver Isaiah Neyor delivered the highlight of two camp practices so far. He hauled in a 50-yard deep pass from quarterback Mac Jones in the midst of triple coverage.

The 49ers had to sign yet another veteran receiver, Quintez Cephus, in response to Jacob Cowing’s hamstring injury Wednesday. But positional thinness spells opportunities for youngsters such as Neyor, an undrafted free agent who was one of the most athletic players in the 2025 rookie class. He’s 6-foot-4, 218 pounds, and runs a 4.40 40-yard dash with a 1.51 10-yard split.

Those are elite metrics, and Neyor is putting his gifts to use in the camp so far.

• Purdy was locked in Thursday, completing 13-of-14 passes. His only miss sailed high above tight end George Kittle and receiver Russell Gage, who were both running intermediate crossers. But Purdy connected with Gage multiple times — that veteran is also seizing opportunity in the receiver room — and later found Kittle with another perfectly placed deep ball.

• This should be particularly exciting news for the 49ers: Christian McCaffrey looks as strong and healthy as ever to open camp. McCaffrey, who missed most of last season with Achilles tendinitis and a subsequent knee injury, already looked spry in spring — but he’s taken it up another level for camp.

McCaffrey and his wife, Olivia Culpo, welcomed a baby daughter just before camp. That led to some playful teasing from 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.

“I asked Christian if he was going to change now that he’s a dad,” Shanahan said. “He was adamant that he wouldn’t. So, we’ll see. I’m sure he won’t. He’s a pyscho.”