The San Francisco 49ers have begun to turn the page to their younger players.
They signaled those changes in their Week 4 victory against the New England Patriots. Rookie safety Malik Mustapha got to make his debut start. He got the nod over George Odom, who was the initial starter when Talanoa Hufanga was out.
Rookie cornerback Renardo Green received more snaps than Isaac Yiadom who has been the starter in the nickel defense. Sooner or later Green will be the indefinite starter in the nickel. These are a couple of moves the 49ers have made to kickstart their transition to the younger players.
It shouldn’t stop at Mustapha and Green. There is another veteran who needs to make way to continue the movement towards the young players. The 49ers need to pull the plug on linebacker De’Vondre Campbell. He has been a failed free agent signing for the 49ers through four games this season.
Campbell was brought in to be the placeholder while Dre Greenlaw recovers from a torn Achilles. But he has shown to be a replaceable player, especially in pass coverage. He has allowed 17 receptions for 168 yards this season, 9.9 yards per catch. Campbell is an automatic first-down conversion when targeted.
It’s difficult to see what exactly he positively provides the 49ers. One thing is sure: he brings a lot of negative factors with zero trajectory. This is who Campbell is and it’s why the Green Bay Packers let him walk in free agency. The 49ers need to committ to their young players.
The first player who they should look to supplant Campbell is Dee Winters. He has the speed to keep up in coverage and break on passes that Campbell simply does not. That alone makes for an instant upgrade. Winters will surely struggle, but at least there is a trajectory with him. The 49ers don’t have that with Campbell.
What you see is what you get with him and it won’t get better. He’s only going to be a massive liability when the 49ers face strong offenses. The Los Angeles Rams are an example of that. Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford, who are reputable with high intelligence, went at Campbell on pivotal downs and succeeded.
Imagine when the 49ers face the Kansas City Chiefs in the coming weeks. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are going to have Campbell circled. Don’t let that happen. Put Winters, Tatum Bethune, or re-signed Jalen Graham there. At least when they get beat they can learn and get better from it.
Reduce Campbell to a base package linebacker and nothing more. Go with the younger, faster players and see what their potential is.
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