The San Francisco 49ers made several moves this offseason to strengthen the roster, especially with the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams fielding tough defenses in the NFC West.
One of the moves that the Niners made this offseason was bringing back a familiar face on their defense: Dre Greenlaw. After spending last season with the Denver Broncos, the veteran linebacker is back in the Bay Area to play alongside Fred Warner.
Ahead of the 2026 NFL season, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco spoke with Ari Meirov and didn’t hold back his thoughts regarding the impact he feels Greenlaw will have on the 49ers’ defense.
“Last year, their linebackers, those stack linebackers, were Dee Winters and Tatum Bethune,” Maiocco told Meirov on the Aug. 13 edition of “NFL Spotlight With Ari Meirov.” “And so, they did a fine job. No doubt about it. But they’re not Warner and Greenlaw. And so, what Greenlaw does, and Warner in the same way, is a little bit different, but kind of the same.
“They are tone setters. They’re enforcers. They bring a certain level of aggressiveness that permeates through that defense. And so, Greenlaw is just the intensity that he brings, the aggression with which he plays. It’s contagious throughout that defense.”
During his first stint with San Francisco, Greenlaw had 295 solo tackles, 160 assisted tackles, 3.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions in 64 games, per StatMuse.
49ers to Benefit From Dre Greenlaw, Fred Warner Reunion
Moreover, Maiocco sees the tandem of Greenlaw and Warner picking up where they left off. After a season away in Denver, Greenlaw appears motivated to prove he can still play at a high level and contribute to a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
“The 49ers wanted him back, and so here he is,“ Maiocco added. “So I would think that, again, no disrespect to Dee Winters and Tatum Bethune, but the linebacking corps with Warner and Greenlaw could very well be the most improved position on the team just because they’re getting those guys back. And the energy that both those guys bring is off the charts, and I think that’s going to help the entire defense as a whole here.”
Dre Greenlaw on Playing With the Broncos Last Season
In May, Greenlaw spoke about his lone season with the Broncos and how challenging it was for him as he looks to rebound in San Francisco.
“Last year was tough,“ Greenlaw said. “Last year was real tough, but it’s just part of ball, it’s part of life. Life ain’t never been just going the way you think it’s gonna go or going the way you want it to go.
“But I had to learn a lot about myself last year and then just take a step back and … I didn’t get a chance to play football a lot. So I’m just grateful to be healthy right now and play football. But you definitely have times when things weren’t going good that you kind of felt like, ‘Damn.‘”
It will be interesting to see whether being back in a familiar environment and playing alongside someone he knows will help Greenlaw return to his past form.
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