San Francisco 49ers rookie linebacker Jaden Dugger has had a bit of talk around these parts—and all of it has been positive. Most recently, he had an impressive performance on Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders with 10 tackles and two quarterback hits. Yes, there was a whiffed tackle, but besides that, he’s made his case to make the 53-man roster.
It’s not just linebacker either. Dugger was seen mixed in with the pass rushers earlier in August and even beat Trent Williams. 49ers linebackers coach K.J. Wright even praised Dugger’s versatility. Now, he has the eye of a Hall of Fame linebacker. 49ers legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Patrick Willis:
Getting praise from one of the best linebackers to put on the red and gold certainly helps Dugger’s case to make the 53-man roster. So do plays like this torpedo play he had on Thursday:
The 49ers have reunited Fred Warner with Dre Greenlaw. The latter has a one-year deal, and maybe Dugger is the guy to take Greenlaw’s role. The 49ers also have Tatum Bethune, who was used as Warner’s backup last year.
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Dugger doesn’t seem like a guy for either role. Dugger seems like the defense’s version of Deebo Samuel. A guy whom they can move around to play every position.
Are we going to see plays like the one above with the Raiders in 2026? Probably not. NFL starting offensive lines during the regular season are not like the ones in the preseason. The good thing is Dugger has two great people to learn from in Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner while he learns the NFL game.
Given he’s caught the attention of the best linebacker to do it in San Francisco, maybe he can learn a bit from Willis as well.
