The San Francisco 49ers cannot catch a break in 2024. One of the lone bright spots in a lost season was the return of linebacker Dre Greenlaw. His heartbreaking and potential outcome-altering injury in Super Bowl 58 has haunted the 49ers. It led to the signing of now-suspended linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and left a void in the middle of their defense.
Yet, his return date was one the team and every fan had circled on their calendars. “Just wait til we get Dre Greenlaw back,” was a common phrase heard when asked how the team could fix its defensive struggles. And in his first game this season, that sentiment rang true.
The 49ers defense held the Rams to 12 points, and before Achilles fatigue and soreness kept Greenlaw off the field, it limited Los Angeles to 79 total yards. Having Greenlaw back altered almost everything about San Francisco’s defense and finally gave the team its emotional leader back.
Unfortunately, just like the rest of the 49ers 2024 season, the good times do not last.
49ers’ Dre Greenlaw Done for the Season?
On Sunday against the Dolphins, Greenlaw made his second start of the season. Four snaps later, he removed himself from the game.
On the CBS broadcast, sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson said Greenlaw was “yelling, screaming, and limping in pain.”
The report was worrisome, and the fear of Greenlaw reinjuring his Achilles percolated across social media.
In a conference call with the media on Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan disclosed Greenlaw injured his right calf and was waiting for MRI results to reveal the severity.
Greenlaw battled right calf soreness during the 2023 season but ended up tearing his left Achilles during the Super Bowl.
When asked if the team has thought of shutting Greenlaw down for the rest of the season, Shanahan admitted it is on the table.
“My gut is most likely that he’ll end up being shut down, but I gotta wait to talk to Dre on that,” Shanahan said. “And we’ll still make sure to see exactly how he is doing because, right now, we just have it as just soreness and stuff. But that’ll definitely be a decision that I’ll leave up to Dre, depending on what his health is.”
With the 49ers considering shutting Greenlaw down, his future with the team remains uncertain.
Greenlaw’s Future
49ers’ Dre Greenlaw will be an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason. The assumption was if the linebacker could stay healthy, he would ask for a large chunk of change. But, with another lower-body injury, it is hard to imagine Greenlaw commanding a large salary.
That may work in the 49ers’ favor, as the front office has already indicated they want to re-sign Greenlaw for a “long time.”
Yet, one has to wonder how much money the front office is willing to commit to a linebacker who has not played a full game since the 2023 playoffs. The team also plans to extend Brock Purdy’s contract this offseason, adding another wrinkle into the fold.
What was supposed to be a celebrated return has quickly turned into a serious cause for concern.
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