Dre Greenlaw’s return highlighted how much the 49ers need him

Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterDec 18, 2024, 06:00 AM ET

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — For 60 fleeting minutes last Thursday night, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir finally felt like he and his defensive teammates were back to their formerly dominant ways.

The 49ers had just held the visiting Los Angeles Rams to three first-half points and kept them from getting even a single first down in the opening quarter. It was the first time since coach Sean McVay took over in 2017 that had happened.

“I feel like we were kind of finding an identity,” Lenoir said.

It’s no accident that the Niners’ offering at least a hint of recapturing past defensive excellence coincided with the long-awaited return of linebacker Dre Greenlaw.

Greenlaw tugging on his red No. 57 jersey, buckling up his helmet, sharing a brief moment with teammate Fred Warner in the tunnel and stepping on to the field for the first time in 305 days provided exactly the kind of boost the Niners hoped it would.

“It meant everything,” Warner said. “He looked like Dre Greenlaw from the moment we started.”

And Greenlaw’s presence was more than just an emotional lightning rod. Despite not having played a snap of football since tearing his left Achilles in Super Bowl LVIII, he looked a lot like the sideline-to-sideline enforcer who has been an integral part of one of the league’s best defenses over the past five-plus years.

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In 30 snaps before departing out of precaution because of knee soreness, Greenlaw made eight tackles and gave up one reception for 8 yards in 13 coverage snaps. On any other night, Greenlaw’s return would have been celebrated.

Instead, it wasn’t even the biggest story of the evening about a Niners linebacker as veteran De’Vondre Campbell declined to enter the game against the Rams and walked off the field in the fourth quarter.

But while the Campbell situation might have overshadowed Greenlaw’s return, it also served as a reminder of just how important Greenlaw is to the team’s identity and why the 49ers should do everything possible to not let him hit free agency in 2025.

“He’s probably my favorite teammate to ever play with, college and pros,” defensive end Nick Bosa said. “He’s an absolute dog and he was showing it. To come after a year of not playing and look like that, it’s pretty impressive.”

At the time of Greenlaw’s injury in February, the Niners were authoring one of their best defensive performances of the season. They’d held the high-powered Kansas City Chiefs to 80 yards, zero points and 2.7 yards per carry for nearly a quarter and a half with Greenlaw and Warner leading the charge.

Then, his Achilles gave out as he prepared to jog on to the field. The injury left teammates stunned and Greenlaw in tears. In the roughly 10 months that followed, Greenlaw battled the urge to return as fast as possible regardless of what it might mean for his chances of a big contract in the future.

At various points in training camp, Greenlaw could be found playing catch and prodding on teammates but having to remind himself to be cautious about his recovery despite how badly he wanted to get back on the field.

“I think just at this particular time and in my career, you can’t afford to get hurt too much more,” Greenlaw said. “I don’t want to be in this position again next year where I got to watch the whole team do it. I try my best just to be as smart as I can on it.”

Dre Greenlaw returned to the field last week after suffering an Achilles’ injury vs. the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. AP Photo/Godofredo A. VÃ¡squez

Since the 49ers used a fifth-round pick on Greenlaw in 2019, injuries are the only thing that’s held him back from garnering the type of accolades that Warner has accumulated. Of a possible 97 games, Greenlaw has missed 34 because of quad, groin, calf and hamstring issues, in addition to the Achilles.

The differences when he has been available versus when he hasn’t are glaring.

In 63 regular-season games with Greenlaw, the 49ers are 44-19, allowing 19.7 points per game, giving up an average QBR of 45.4 and 2.88 expected points added per game. In 34 games without him, they are 16-18, allowing 21.1 points per game, give up an average QBR of 57.4 and average minus-0.24 EPA per game.

Greenlaw’s passionate approach — he says the thing he missed most when injured was hitting people and letting his frustration out — has been a key, if underrated, component of San Francisco’s run of success since 2019.

“Dre Greenlaw is one of my favorite football players to ever watch,” tight end George Kittle said. “The energy that he plays with the violence that he plays with every single snap. And you can just tell the energy that he brings to the entire defense and the entire team is infectious. It’s unique. It’s one of a kind and he’s an absolute unicorn football player.”

Greenlaw’s injury history is also the only thing that has prevented him from cashing in on a big, long-term contract. In September 2022, he signed a two-year, $16.4 million extension. At the time, he told ESPN he wanted to forgo free agency to “let some stress off knowing that if you get hurt, you don’t have to worry about much.”

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Now, he has three games remaining on that deal before he will have the chance to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. His myriad injury issues will likely put at least an artificial cap on how much he could command and could keep his price tag in a reasonable enough range for the 49ers to afford him even as they make other difficult roster decisions.

In an offseason that will have plenty of uncertainty, one thing this teammates know for sure is: they want Greenlaw to stay.

“I’m praying we re-sign him back,” Lenoir said. “He looked well worth it.”

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