The San Francisco 49ers needed Dre Greenlaw last year, and it appears that Greenlaw might have needed the 49ers as well. Greenlaw did not have the best year with the Denver Broncos, and the 49ers shuffled linebackers too much without Greenlaw. Now that Greenlaw is back, he is already talking about how comfortable he is in the defense. He cites playing next to Fred Warner as what can bring out the best in him.
“His leadership, his voice, he’s the voice of the defense,” said Greenlaw. “When you have someone that confident next to you, it settles you down.”
Greenlaw was coming back from his injury and then got banged up when he returned as well. So, he only played 352 snaps last year, and that might have had something to do with him being uncomfortable in Denver. However, he was not nearly as impactful on the field as well.
Some of that likely has to do with the room that Denver had. They had Alex Singleton as their starting linebacker, and Justin Strnad was the second man with Greenlaw out. Singleton is a fine linebacker, but he is not the leader or athlete that Warner is.
So, Greenlaw was entering a new team and trying to recover from his injury, but also was trying to overcome the fact that he now has a less confident and commanding playcaller in the middle of the defense.
We saw last year that Dee Winters immediately saw a drop off in play when Warner went down with his foot injuries. The same thing happened with Greenlaw on the Broncos. Now that he is back with Warner and fully healthy, it is fair to think that he could get back to his old playing ways.
If not, the 49ers would not be quick to pull off a move and bench Greenlaw. The team is much deeper at linebacker than they were in past years. Garrett Wallow started in the playoffs last year, and Nick Martin was a third-round pick in 2025. Tatum Bethune saw work when Warner went down last year before an injury sidelined him, and Jaden Dugger might be a rookie, but he represents a high-ceiling player.
Greenlaw is going to enter training camp uncontested for the starting job, but the 49ers have to be prepared for whichever direction things go. Right now, Greenlaw and the 49ers are optimistic it will go well.
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