Winnipeg’s SAM linebacker is a 16-game platoon, not a solved position

Jaylen Smith (7 starts, 46 tackles) and Michael Griffin II (9 starts, 39 tackles) have split every game at strong-side linebacker this season. Smith’s tackle rate (6.6 per start) beats Griffin’s (4.3), but Smith’s hip injury hands the playoff-clinching start to the veteran Griffin. That’s a trust/experience call, not a production call.