49ers DC Nick Sorensen Gives Dee Winters Mixed Reviews
![Jul 25, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen answers questions at a press conference following Day 3 of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports Jul 25, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen answers questions at a press conference following Day 3 of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4836,h_2720,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_49ers/01j59hdxfxad4xb64ajs.jpg)
SANTA CLARA -- One of the most intriguing young players on the 49ers is second-year linebacker Dee Winters.
He looks noticeably better than last season when he was a rookie. Fred Warner even said that Winters was the 49ers' best player during OTAs. But players don't tackle during practice. The big test for Winters is the preseason, and this past Saturday in the 49ers' 17-13 loss to the Titans, Winters drew mixed reviews from defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen.
“Dee was fun," Sorensen said. "He played hard, he was flying around. It wasn't perfect, some of the execution stuff, but just seeing him, like I was saying, just taking that next step to cut it loose, you saw that. So it was fun to see Dee get out there, get some playing time and play fast and violent.”
What exactly wasn't perfect about Winters' performance?
“It's just assignments sometimes and knowing where to line up. Just being in the right spot. It's just details, the fundamental details. And then once you have that and that’s second nature, that's when you see him really flying and taking his shots. We want him to play like that just all the time. So it's just, how can we cut it loose like that as consistently as possible?”
Coaches often say that players need to know their alignment, assignment and technique on every play. So Winters currently is having issues with two of the three fundamentals. Until he masters the basics, I doubt we'll see him much in the regular season.