Player
Dee Winters
LB · 49ers
Dee Winters: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
From 6th-round 2023 rookie to 49ers starting LB — a 3-year climb behind Fred Warner.
TrendWinters by season (regular season)
| Year | Solo TK | Asst | Combined | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| 2024 | 26 | 18 | 44 | 0 |
| 2025 | 68 | 38 | 106 | 11 |
Drafted 216th overall by San Francisco in 2023 out of TCU, Winters spent his rookie year as a sub-package and special-teams LB — just 11 combined tackles.
2024 brought a slightly bigger role (44 combined). 2025 is the full ascension: 106 combined tackles + 11 TFLs, starting next to Fred Warner in the 49ers base defense.
Combined tackles per year
| Year | Tackles |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 44 |
| 2025 | 106 |
11 TFLs in 2025 — top-15 in the NFL among LBs and DBs.
MilestoneWinters' 11 TFLs in 2025 is a marquee number — only about 15 non-DL defenders league-wide hit double-digit TFLs in a given season.
For a 6th-round LB in his third year, 11 TFLs reads as an indicator of two things: (1) heavy snap volume, and (2) the kind of downhill, gap-shooting LB usage that matches the 49ers' defensive identity.
From 0 TFLs in 2023-24 combined to 11 in 2025 — a complete role transformation.
SplitWinters role profile by season
| Season | TFL | QB Hits | PD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2025 | 11 | 4 | 5 |
Across his first two seasons, Winters produced 0 TFLs and 0 QB hits — a sign of light, primarily-coverage-based usage.
In 2025, both numbers exploded: 11 TFLs + 4 QB hits. He's now being used as a downhill thumper — gap-shooting on runs, blitzing through the A-gap on passing downs — in addition to his coverage responsibilities.
106 combined tackles + 11 TFLs as a 6th-round Year 3 LB — overachiever profile.
RareFor 216th-overall picks, the typical NFL career arc is: 2-3 years of special teams, then either a backup role or out of the league. Few break through to a 100+ tackle, 11-TFL starting LB season.
Winters did it in Year 3, on a defense already featuring Fred Warner — which means he wasn't filling in for injury; he was earning starting snaps in full health, in a competitive room.
Tackle production grew 4x year-over-year (44 → 106 combined) — sharp role expansion.
AnomalyWinters' 44 → 106 combined tackle jump between 2024 and 2025 is a +62 increase, with the entire jump landing in his run-game and pressure stats: +11 TFLs, +4 QB hits, +1 PD.
With De'Vondre Campbell moving on and Dre Greenlaw working back from Achilles, San Francisco gave Winters the next-LB-up role — and he ran with it.
Playing next to Fred Warner — the partnership that makes a Year-3 LB look like a fixture.
ComparisonWinters' breakout came in the same season Fred Warner remained the league's premier LB. Playing next to Warner amplifies what every supporting LB does: opponents avoid Warner's zone, which funnels carries and routes to the other LB.
Winters' 11 TFLs + 106 combined tackles is what happens when a sound, high-effort 3rd-year LB is paired with an All-Pro who absorbs attention. San Francisco may have found a long-term Warner running mate on a Day 3 pick.
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