49ers Defense is Benefitting From Key Starter's Improvement

One key starter on the 49ers defense has been improving lately. Here is who and how the 49ers are benefiting from it.

Sep 29, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell (59) tackles New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The main reason the San Francisco 49ers weren't heavily active at the trade deadline is that it wasn't necessary.

No player available was going to take them over the top. The players that they have now are enough. What they really needed was for a handful of them to step up. One player who has stepped up in the last two games is linebacker De'Vondre Campbell.

He had been a complete liability for most of the season. It was lookiing more and more that the 49ers wasted their efforts in signing. However, it seems he is starting to hit his stride. The 49ers defense is benefiting from his improvement as a result.

"I thought Dallas was his best game of the year and I thought this game was maybe even better," said Kyle Shanahan. "De’Vondre's a very good player. He's done it. He did it in Atlanta. He did it in Arizona. He’s done it in Green Bay. And he has done some real good things here.

"It's just getting used to our scheme and he gets better and better each week. These last two games have been his best. He's getting more confidence playing in it just our style and kind of how we do things. Everything's a little bit different and playing next to all new guys and everything. But I couldn't be more happy with him and his journey throughout this year.”

The 49ers' belief in Campbell is starting to pay off. It began to waver a bit when Dee Winters started to see some snaps. Unfortunately for Winters, injuries started to arise for him and he couldn't take advantage of the opportunities.

It allowed Campbell to wake up and realize his starting role could be in jeopardy. It's one thing to allow Dre Greenlaw to take his spot. He knew what he signed up for as Greenlaw's placeholder. But it's another thing to allow a second-year player with hardly any experience to dethrone him.

Campbell is settling into the defense and is giving the 49ers some positive impact for once. His grades from Pro Football Focus reflect that. Two of his three best grades this season have come against the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That's on par with what Shanahan said.

Hopefully, Campbell can maintain this level and improve further. With another capable linebacker, the defense tightens up and becomes stingier. It's needed since the demand is high for the defense to be great. The offense hasn't done the defense any favors, so the better the defense can get, the more success the 49ers will have.