San Francisco’s rookie linebacker Jaden Dugger is still tough to pin down, but that uncertainty may be part of the plan.
The 49ers have not given the fifth-round pick a clean, easy-to-read path early in his development, and that has made it hard to track exactly where he stands. But linebackers coach K.J.
Wright made one thing clear: the fact that Dugger has not settled into one narrow job is not necessarily a setback. In Wright’s view, it speaks to how much the team can do with him.
KJ Wright on Jaden Dugger’s versatility:“It’s really powerful. He can play in space.
He can go to MIKE linebacker. He can go down on the EDGE.
On third down, I can see him roaming around the guards. You can do so much with that guy and when you look at him, when offenses start… pic.twitter.com/CSJnMtm5jH
That kind of flexibility is exactly what Raheem Morris wants from his defense. He refers to those pieces as “Fever backers,” players who can shift the look of the defense without requiring a personnel change. Dugger fits that mold in theory, and the 49ers are asking him to handle multiple jobs at once.
That comes with a catch. For a fifth-round rookie, the NFL already moves fast.
Add in the fact that he’s learning middle linebacker, dime backer, and edge-rushing duties, and it becomes even more difficult to find immediate footing. The upside is obvious, but so is the delay.
He’s picking up a little of everything, which also means he isn’t fully polished in any one area yet.
That reality matters in a linebacker room that is deeper than most. Coming into training camp, Dugger was already facing an uphill climb to secure a roster spot after being drafted so late. The 49ers clearly like his physical tools, though, and that makes it unlikely they would give up on him quickly in camp.
Even so, there’s a real chance he opens the season inactive unless he can carve out value on special teams. For now, the team can take the long view, easing him into different responsibilities in practice without throwing him into a major game-day role too soon.
The biggest thing left to watch is how the 49ers use him in the preseason. Will they keep him strictly at linebacker?
And if they do, is he working behind Fred Warner at MIKE or Dre Greenlaw at WILL? There’s still plenty to sort through with a player who may not see the field at all this year.
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For a team always looking to add pressure without tipping its hand, that kind of early versatility has value beyond the usual summer buzz. The 49ers are still figuring out how much Height can handle and whether he can grow into a role larger than the one originally envisioned for him, but the fact that he is forcing that conversation at all is reason enough to keep watching camp closely. [Read more 🡒]