49ers’ linebacker legacy falls to Kendricks, others for wild-card opener
SANTA CLARA – Linebacker Eric Kendricks will be new to the 49ers’ starting lineup come Sunday’s wild-card playoff game at Philadelphia. The footsteps he follows are not new to him.
“There’s a standard that’s upheld in this room,” Kendricks said Wednesday. “ This organization has always had good linebackers, as far as I’m concerned, so I don’t plan on it being any different.”
That history includes the surnames Hazeltine, Wilcox, Turner, Norton, Woodall, Willis, Bowman, Warner, Greenlaw and many more. Now, it’s … Kendricks & Co.
If this were training camp, the influx of linebackers would not be as alarming. But on Wednesday, the No. 6-seed 49ers began practicing for No. 3 Philadelphia with a unit featuring Kendrick, Garret Wallow, Curtis Robinson, and practice-squad players Jalen Graham and Kyzir White, the latter of whom is an eighth-year veteran that officially signed Wednesday.
“This is the league. There’s always going to be pressure. It’s up to you to rise to the occasion,” Kendricks said. “Now it’s just about going out, knowing what I’m doing, letting loose and playing on my instincts.”
Kendricks spoke Wednesday at his locker directly across from Fred Warner, the four-time All-Pro who sustained a right-ankle fracture three months ago and is working toward an improbable comeback should the 49ers reach the NFC Championship round.
Kendricks signed Nov. 26, got called up from the practice squad for the past three games, and Wednesday he moved onto the 53-man roster as Tatum Bethune went on Injured Reserve because of Saturday’s groin tear against Seattle.
Not only are the 49ers without Warner and now Bethune, Dee Winters (ankle) did not practice Wednesday and Luke Gifford (quadriceps) was limited because of injuries in Saturday’s 13-3 defeat.
Kendricks, an 11th-year veteran, will be the fourth “Mike” linebacker to start this season, with Curtis Robinson having relieved an injured Bethune for three games.
“I’m very confident and very comfortable with this position in particular,” Kendricks said. “Me being verbal and directing things, not that I understand the defense with displacements, I feel I’m in a comfortable spot.”
On the other side of the locker room, White stood in front of a locker he’s sharing with rookie quarterback Kurtis Rourke and said he’ll try to help instantly “in whatever capacity I can.”
He did, of course, play on the Eagles three seasons ago when they beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game en route to a Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, White said: “I haven’t been there since 2022. I’ve been watching from afar and have my guys I like to watch. They have a great offense. They haven’t been playing up to par, as of late. But they have a top running back. Jalen Hurts is a top quarterback. And A.J. Brown is, to me, a top-five receiver. Dallas Goedert is playing well (at tight end) and they have a good O-line. It’ll be a good battle.”
While 2022 Eagles run is all of White’s playoff experience, Kendricks went to the postseason four times with the Minnesota Vikings. The only other 49ers defenders who’ve started a playoff game are defensive backs Deommodore Lenoir and Ji’Ayir Brown.
Kendricks played with Minnesota from 2015-22, then the Los Angeles Chargers (’23) and Dallas Cowboys (’24) before his late-season arrival on the 49ers, who initially had him learn weak-side linebacker spot before his shift back to the play-calling “Mike” role.
“I took a leap of faith. I just had a gut feeling. I didn’t want to jump on anything too early,” Kendricks said. “I wanted something that felt right. I didn’t play for a while and nothing felt right. I got this opportunity, it felt right, I made the move and completely humbled myself doing things I wasn’t used to do, but it was easy because everyone was unselfish.
“It’s crazy how it ends up but that’s just how things in my life work out.”
How Saturday’s game works out will depend on the 49ers’ defensive ability to contain quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley, who were instrumental in last season’s Super Bowl-winning efforts.
Last season, Kendricks was part of a Cowboys’ 34-6 loss to the Eagles in which neither Hurts (202 yards, two touchdown passes, one interception) nor Barkley (66 rushing yards) had big games.
Kendricks praised Barkley as “an instinctual runner” who pivots out of tackles, stays low and uses his power. As for Hurts, “Shoot, we have to keep him contained, obviously,” Kendricks said. “Down and distance is super crucial, making it favorable on our end. Eating your vegetables on first and second down is super important.”