With a deep roster and limited playing time, the team must weigh trading Winters for draft capital against retaining his proven talent.
Category: Sports
The San Francisco 49ers are grappling with a challenging roster decision as they prepare for the upcoming NFL draft. With a surplus of talent at the linebacker position, Dee Winters, who had a standout season in 2025, finds himself potentially on the trading block.
Currently, the 49ers boast nine linebackers on their roster, including star Fred Warner, who is making a return from a season-ending injury. The lineup also features Dre Greenlaw, Tatum Bethune, Winters, Luke Gifford, Nick Martin, Garret Wallow, Curtis Robinson, and Jalen Graham. As the team heads into the draft, it seems unlikely that all nine will secure a spot on the 53-man roster, leading to speculation about which players might be let go.
According to NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco, the 49ers could trade one of their backup linebackers before or during the draft to bolster their draft capital. Winters, in the final year of his contract with a cap hit of approximately $3.67 million, emerges as a prime candidate for such a move. "They could get a nice sum for Winters, though he is entering the final year of his contract," Maiocco stated. This trade could free up salary cap space and potentially yield a Day 3 draft pick, which could be beneficial for the team's future.
Winters' situation is particularly complex. In the 2025 season, he started all 17 games, recording 101 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five pass breakups, and an interception returned for a touchdown. His performance was impressive, as he played over 90 percent of the defensive snaps, establishing himself as a full-time linebacker rather than just a rotational player. Yet, the return of Greenlaw alters the dynamics of the linebacker unit significantly.
Greenlaw's presence means that the 49ers are likely to rely heavily on him and Warner, relegating Winters to a reduced role. Current projections suggest that he may only see 15 to 25 percent of the snaps, a stark drop from his previous full-time workload. This disparity between his proven ability and the limited opportunities he may receive raises questions about the value of keeping him on the roster.
At 25 years old, Winters remains in his prime development window, making him an attractive option for teams looking for a starting-caliber linebacker. The 49ers must now decide whether to retain him as depth, which would mean carrying a player of his caliber in a limited role, or to trade him and convert that surplus into potential future value.
As noted, the 49ers have one of the deepest linebacker groups in the league, which presents a unique challenge. The depth is advantageous, but it also creates redundancy, particularly when one of the players cannot realistically see the field. Historically, teams have been known to trade contract-year defensive players who have demonstrated starting ability, often fetching mid-to-late round draft picks in return.
The question now is how the 49ers want to leverage that value. "This is not about whether Dee Winters fits in San Francisco. He already proved that he does. The question is whether the 49ers see more value in keeping him as depth or converting him into an asset before his role shrinks and his contract expires," wrote NFL Analysis. The decision is compounded by the team's recent history with late-round linebackers, which suggests that trading a player like Winters, a former sixth-round pick himself, might not be a bad idea.
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are in a position where they must weigh the potential benefits of trading Winters against the risks of losing a capable player should injuries strike the linebacker unit again. After experiencing injuries in the previous season, the team may be hesitant to thin out their linebacker corps.
In the end, the 49ers' decision will likely hinge on their confidence in the remaining linebackers and their assessment of Winters' long-term value. As the draft approaches, the organization must balance the immediate need for depth against the potential for future gains through a strategic trade.
With the NFL draft just around the corner, the clock is ticking for the 49ers to make a decision on Winters. Whether they choose to retain him or trade him could have lasting implications for the team's defensive strategy and roster construction moving forward. The stakes are high, and the outcome remains uncertain.