The San Francisco 49ers have had a number of players coming and going during these first two weeks of free agency. Among the list of players beginning a new chapter of their careers elsewhere is seventh-year pro Oren Burks. The linebacker was brought in at the conclusion of the 2021 season and spent the last couple years with the red and gold. Last week, he put pen to paper on a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Burks was an important rotational player for the 49ers and special teams contributor during the 2022 campaign and took on a more prominent role in the linebacker corps in 2023 following the exit of Azeez Al-Shaair. Last season, Burks appeared in 15 games (five starts) and put together his best statistical season that included 46 tackles, his first-career interception and his first full career sack. In the 49ers Super Bowl LVIII matchup, he also stepped in for Dre Greenlaw, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the first half, and racked up five tackles in that game.
In Burks' introductory press conference with the Eagles, he gave a special shoutout to the leader of San Francisco's linebacker unit, Fred Warner, when asked about his takeaways from The Bay.
"No. 1 was just the preparation," Burks said. "Just being around Fred Warner. I think he's one of the best linebackers in the game. The way that he prepares in OTAs is the same way he prepares during the Super Bowl, in terms of the mindset. I'm hoping to emulate that into some of my own process and bring that here to Philly."
Warner was one of three players to earn unanimous First-Team All-Pro honors in 2023 and was a Pro Bowl Games selection. The seventh-year pro closed out the 2023 regular season campaign with a team-leading 132 total tackles, four interceptions, four forced fumbles and 2.5 sacks.
San Francisco's current linebacker room includes Warner, Greenlaw, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Jalen Graham, Curtis Robinson, Ezekiel Turner, De'Vondre Campbell and Dee Winters.
