One of the few open starting jobs on the 49ers depth chart is the Sam linebacker spot left vacant by Azeez Al-Shaair, who signed with the Titans in free agency.
That job is wide open with every LB on the roster potentially in the mix, but the first opportunities there went to veteran Oren Burks according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.
It’s a mild surprise that Burks got those first reps. He signed with San Francisco last offseason as a key special teams contributor. That was largely his role in Green Bay after the Packers selected him in the third round of the 2018 draft.
San Francisco re-signed LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles who has more experience playing with the 49ers’ defense. They also added two LBs in the draft – TCU’s Dee Winters in Round 6, and Purdue’s Jalen Graham in Round 7.
Still, Burks was the first LB to run alongside Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw at the first training camp practice Wednesday.
In five seasons Burks has started 10 games on defense. Last year he played 157 defensive snaps for San Francisco. His career-high for defensive snaps in season was 205, which he accumulated in 2021 – his final year with the Packers.
While his stints as a linebacker with Green Bay weren’t particularly good, he wasn’t bad with the 49ers last year in his limited sample and earned career-best grades across the board from Pro Football Focus, including a strong 78.9 overall grade.
The Sam LB’s playing time would be limited and would most typically come in run situations. That may be a role Burks ultimately thrives in, and the team was clearly happy with what they saw from him last season.
It’s still early in camp though and pads haven’t come on yet. Burks got the first starting reps, but don’t be surprised if some of the other LBs on the roster get their opportunities for those snaps as well.
