Last year, the San Francisco 49ers relied heavily on their depth to make up for a number of injuries over the course of the regular season and into the playoffs.
One of the most prominent injuries was to veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander, whose torn pectoral against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 31 was initially seen as a season-ending setback. Alexander eventually returned for the postseason, but the Niners were forced into starting then-rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw, also banking on increased production from another rookie, Azeez Al-Shaair.
Shortly after Alexander’s injury, San Francisco promoted a fellow linebacker, Elijah Lee, off the practice squad, adding depth behind Greenlaw and Fred Warner.