The San Francisco 49ers finally got some good injury news.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw is on track to make his return Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Greenlaw tore his Achilles running onto the field during Super Bowl LVIII and has been on the PUP list since the offseason. He had his 21-day practice window opened ahead of Week 13, but he was ruled out of both Weeks 13 and 14 after two weeks of limited practices.
Leading up to Week 15 he had a projected limited practice Monday, then was limited Tuesday before getting a full practice in Wednesday and receiving a ‘questionable’ designation on the team’s injury report.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday intimated Greenlaw had a chance to return against the Rams, so it’s not a huge surprise the team intends to have their start linebacker suit up for the first time this season.
For Greenlaw to play, there will have to be a maneuver to open a spot on the 53-man roster.
The 49ers have missed his athleticism in the second level, and if he returns it’s unclear what his role will be. He could take back his starting Will LB spot where he’s on the field alongside Fred Warner for all three downs. He may also take over the Sam LB spot where he’s only on the field in the base defense.
Rapoport reported Greenlaw will be eased in, which means he’ll likely take on the lesser role as a third LB instead of taking a lion’s share of the game’s snaps right away.
Greenlaw, a free agent this offseason, has played in 62 games with 54 starts since joining the 49ers as a fifth-round pick in the 2019 draft. He’s been credited with 446 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 14 pass breakups and three interceptions.
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