SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers' defense has had a number of moving parts throughout the preseason, many of which have been caused by injury. Carlos Hyde Jerseys But it was a bit of a surprise to see Eli Harold as the starting Sam linebacker in chunks of practice last week and then again Saturday night against the Denver Broncos. Colin Kaepernick Jerseys Veteran Ahmad Brooks had been the team's primary linebacker there dating to the spring. So when Harold stepped on the field with the rest of the starters, it prompted questions about what, exactly, is happening at that spot.

After the 49ers' 33-14 loss to Denver, coach Kyle Shanahan summed it up as succinctly as possible. Jerry Rice Jerseys "They're competing to start at the Sam linebacker," Shanahan said. "We gave Ahmad the first game and Eli got this game." Harold's spot in the defense had come into question during camp after he had a setback caused by a concussion suffered early on. It caused him to miss about a week but upon his return, he got right back in the mix. "I felt like I continued to improve which is the most important thing," Harold said. "I'm going to continue to try my best. That's all I can do. Hopefully, I'll get the result I want in the end."

Presumably, that result would include landing a starting job. After two years in the league, Harold has struggled to put it all together, in part because he hasn't quite felt at home in any of his given roles. Joe Montana Jerseys He was deemed too light to rush off the edge as a rookie and put on weight last year in an effort to be stronger. Now in coordinator Robert Saleh's modified 4-3 defensive alignment, Harold has cut some weight in an effort to be quicker off the edge again while maintaining the ability to cover tight ends. NaVorro Bowman Jerseys Harold has also made it a point to get stronger so as to have the ability to hold up in the run game.