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Dee Winters celebrates a 49ers forced turnover against the Seattle Seahawks on October 10, 2024.
When it was announced on January 24, 2025 that the San Francisco 49ers were bringing Robert Saleh back to be their defensive coordinator once again, 49ers fans grew excited at the prospect of seeing Saleh work with the defense again.
The 49ers have become known for their elite defense throughout the 2020s. That all started with Saleh, who previously served as defensive coordinator for the 49ers from 2017-2020.
He led a 49ers defensive unit in 2019 that fueled the team’s 13-3 record and an appearance in Super Bowl LIV.
So if anybody knows what it takes to be a great defender, it’s Saleh.
One of the key position battles that 49ers fans are watching this offseason is at weakside linebacker. With Dre Greenlaw having departed to the Denver Broncos, the 49ers incumbent at the position is Dee Winters.
But, the 49ers didn’t seem to have complete faith in Winters earlier in the offseason. In the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the 49ers selected Nick Martin with the 75th overall pick out of Oklahoma State to directly compete with Winters.
Fortunately for Winters, after the conclusion of minicamp on June 11, 2025, Saleh seems to be pretty impressed with him now.
“He’s got something to him,” Saleh said after minicamp June 11. “I don’t want to jinx him or anything, but if he stays on his trajectory and he attacks these next 40 days and he does things the right way, I think he’s due for a heck of a season.”
Martin has been impressive this offseason as well, but that’s as clear of an indication that Winters is on the inside track to earn the starting job as you’ll ever get out of an NFL coach.
Dee Winters’s Résumé
Dee Winters had an incredible college football career at TCU, especially in his final two seasons with the Horned Frogs.
During his junior season in 2021, he led TCU with 74 tackles and was top-3 on the squad with 5 tackles for loss.
During his senior season in 2022, he took things to the next level, and so did the Horned Frogs. He was a key player in TCU’s run to the national championship game, leading the team with 14.5 tackles for loss and placing second with 7.5 sacks. Though TCU fell just short of ultimate glory, Winters did earn All-Big 12 First Team Honors for his efforts.
Despite his collegiate stardom, Winters wasn’t the biggest prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. He fell to the 6th round where he was selected 216th overall by the 49ers.
Winters has carved out a notable role in his first two seasons in San Francisco. In 2024, he started 10 games and made 44 total tackles.
However, he doesn’t have any forced turnovers or tackles for loss in his career, leaving something to be desired in the difference-making department.
49ers Insider Echoes Saleh’s Praise
Matt Barrows, a longtime 49ers insider for The Athletic, also had high praise for Winters’ performance at 49ers camp.
“He seemed more confident and aggressive than in previous years, both on run defense and in the passing game,” Barrows wrote in an article released on June 12, 2025. “His pass breakup on a deep seam-route throw to receiver Isaiah Hodgins — offenses drool over receiver-linebacker matchups — was one of the defensive highlights of the spring. Winters will have to hold off Martin in training camp, but he heads into the summer with momentum.”
That only further confirms that 49ers fans can consider Winters the player with the inside edge at the weakside linebacker position.
But San Francisco faithful will continue to watch Winters and Martin closely as this position battle heats up in the heat of the summer.
Ethan Inman is a sports journalist covering the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants and Las Vegas Raiders for Heavy sports. He also co-hosts a college football podcast for The Voice of College Football, and writes about the NBA and MLB. He has previously covered the USC Trojans, the NHL, college baseball, and the intersection of sports and popular culture for other publications. He is based in the greater Los Angeles area. More about Ethan Inman
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