The San Francisco 49ers defense will have another new starter when they take the field Monday night vs. the Carolina Panthers.
With linebacker Tatum Bethune nursing an ankle injury that will keep him out for multiple weeks, head coach Kyle Shanahan officially named veteran LB Curtis Robinson the starter in Bethune’s place. It will mark his first-career start.
“It’s been good that Curtis has been here,” Shanahan said. “Always been practicing for this moment and stuff, but it’s just like when you’re missing a quarterback or center, it’s not just the ability of the guy, but everything runs through that position. The MIKE by far on the defense, getting everyone lined up, getting the adjustments with all the motions, it’s a huge deal, schematically, mentally the challenge of it, but Curtis is the right dude for that.”
This will mark the 49ers’ third different starting Mike linebacker this season. That’s the position in the middle of San Francisco’s front seven typically occupied by Fred Warner. Bethune took over as the starter when Warner went down for the season with an ankle injury in Week 9.
Robinson since joining the 49ers as a rookie late in the 2021 season has primarily been used as a special teams contributor, but Sunday’s game vs. Arizona gave him a real glimpse at defensive snaps with the club. His 54 defensive snaps against the Cardinals were by far his high for a game with San Francisco. Now he’ll get a chance for a full workload at MLB in a game against the Panthers with big-time playoff implications.
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