The 49ers will not turn to this rookie after another linebacker injury

Surprise, surprise.

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Another week, another starter injured for the San Francisco 49ers. This time, linebacker Tatum Bethune is expected to miss some time with a high ankle sprain. The injury will put the 49ers on third inside linebacker in that spot, as Fred Warner and Bethune are now both down. 

Why San Francisco 49ers will not start Nick Martin with Tatum Bethune injured

With Bethune out, the team is going to lean on Curtis Robinson. The decision may be a surprise to some and may have fans wondering if this is an indictment of rookie Nick Martin. However, while it does not look good, there is a valid reason for the 49ers not starting Martin. 

The 49ers drafted Martin to play their WILL spot, which is the weakside linebacker spot. This is the position Dee Winters plays, not Warner and Bethune. Warner played the MIKE, which is in the middle, and gets the defense aligned. The WILL is more about run-and-chase. They are asked to do different things. 

So, when Warner went down, Bethune took over the play calling, and the roles of the MIKE, Winters did not change his position. As it stands now, Martin is still the backup to Winters. Meanwhile, Robinson has been running the MIKE with the third team.

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There is an argument to be made that at a certain point, it would be better for the 49ers to move Winters over to the MIKE and start Martin next to him. However, Robinson has been with the team for a couple of years now and has been with the practice squad and on the active roster all season. He knows the defense well and would step into the role without making two positions worse. 

If anything, the Martin may be close to replacing Winters. Winters has not played well in his own role since Warner left the lineup, showing how valuable it is to have a strong knowledge of the defense in that role. The team still does not trust Winters in the long term, and that is why they drafted Martin and have been working him into the role behind Winters. 

That does not give the rookie enough time to learn both roles, though. It would be asking too much to have Martin go into his debut on defense and play out of position and be asked to do things he has hardly practiced. We may see Martin at some point, but not after Bethune went down.