Tag: Dre Greenlaw

Some good news for 49ers on 1st Week 14 practice report

49ers practice report for Wednesday is here:

The San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday began their week of practice as they gear up for what amounts to a season-ending stretch of must-win games if they hope to sneak into the postseason.

Their first practice report of the week had a handful of good news with linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga both appearing as limited participants. Greenlaw is returning from a torn Achilles he suffered in the Super Bowl. He had his 21-day practice window opened last week in hopes he’ll be able to return from the PUP list in time to play in 2024.

Hufanga hurt his wrist in Week 5 and went on IR. He had his 21-day practice window opened and also appeared as a limited participant.

Both players are due to hit free agency in the offseason, so getting on the field to end the year may be a priority for them even if the 49ers don’t have anything to play for down the stretch.

Quarterback Brock Purdy was also a full participant after returning last week from a shoulder injury. He didn’t suffer any setbacks during the game and figures to be on track to suit up against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Here’s the full practice report:

Did not participate

LG Aaron Banks (concussion)
DE Nick Bosa (hip, oblique)
LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (knee)
RB Jordan Mason (ankle)
LT Trent Williams (ankle)

Mason figures to go on IR with a high ankle sprain he suffered in Week 13. Bosa and Williams have missed the last two weeks, and both will be evaluated throughout the week to determine whether they’ll be able to return in Week 14.

Limited participation

LB Dre Greenlaw (Achilles)
S Talanoa Hufanga (wrist)
CB Deommodore Lenoir (knee)

Lenoir missed Week 13 after hurting his knee the previous week. It looks like he’s trending toward a Week 14 return.

Full participation

DT Jordan Elliott (concussion)
DE Sam Okuayinonu (wrist)
RG Dominick Puni (shoulder)
QB Brock Purdy (shoulder)

Good signs all around here. Barring a setback this quartet will play against Chicago.

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49ers may get huge boost on defense with rising star LB’s return

Dre Greenlaw is coming back to practice.

The San Francisco 49ers are aiming to get a key piece of their defense back with their season on the brink of collapse.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday in a conference call told reporters the team is going to open the 21-day practice window for linebacker Dre Greenlaw ahead of their Week 13 matchup with the Buffalo Bills.

Greenlaw tore his Achilles in the Super Bowl in February and has been on the PUP list since training camp began.

By opening the 21-day practice window the 49ers will have three weeks to determine whether to activate Greenlaw or keep him on IR for the rest of the season.

Before the injury Greenlaw was one of the fastest rising stars at linebacker in the NFL. Across the 2022 and 2023 seasons he posted 247 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 10 pass breakups and an interception. He formed perhaps the NFL’s best linebacker duo alongside Fred Warner.

The 49ers have sorely missed Greenlaw in the second level of their defense. While De’Vondre Campbell has been better lately, his lack of athleticism and coverage ability has allowed teams to succeed in the middle of the field in ways they couldn’t when Greenlaw and Warner were roaming there.

It’s unclear whether Greenlaw will be able to ramp up in time to have an impact, but it’s great news for him that he’s able to practice at this point of the year with a chance to return before hitting free agency in the offseason. The 49ers may plan on bringing him back no matter what, but they may also shut him down and not risk another injury if they’re officially eliminated from playoff contention.

If Greenlaw does return to play at a high level though, it would give the 49ers defense a massive lift at one of its weakest positions.

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49ers injury updates: 4 begin training camp on injured lists

49ers injury updates from John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan’s opening press conference:

49ers veterans on Tuesday reported to training camp with no expected holdouts, but they will have four players on injured lists to open camp.

Both linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga are going to start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list after suffering major injuries last season.

Hufanga tore his ACL in Week 11 and is expected to return at some point during camp. His readiness for the season opener is still in question.

Greenlaw was hopeful to return for the season opener, but general manager John Lynch said during the offseason that he was more likely to begin the regular season on the PUP list after tearing his Achilles in the Super Bowl.

Third-year defensive end Drake Jackson is still recovering from offseason surgery and will also start the year on the PUP list.

Rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is dealing with a hamstring injury that has him on the Non-Football Injury list to start the year. John Lynch on Tuesday in a press conference didn’t sound overly concerned and indicated Pearsall would be worked back in during the second portion of camp after the initial four-day ramp up period.

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NFC West Watch: 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk requests a trade

NFC West Watch: 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk requests a trade

I promise, dear reader, this publication has not turned into a San Francisco 49ers hub of information. But it is important to keep an eye on the Seattle Seahawks’ No. 1 rivals when major news begins to break. Yesterday, it was reported linebacker Dre Greenlaw would likely start the season on the PUP list, causing him to miss the Week 6 game against the Seahawks. Now, news has broken from the other side of the ball in San Francisco.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo has announced 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has oficially requested a trade from the only team he’s ever played for in the NFL.

Late in June, I wrote about how San Francisco expressed desire to keep Aiyuk amid the contract drama. However, want and ability are sometimes two different things. The 49ers boast one of the best rosters in the league, but it’s largely driven by quarterback Brock Purdy’s meager (by NFL standards) seventh round rookie contract. Salary caps always make it so teams can’t keep everyone as the years roll on.

Although, Garafolo noted that San Francisco did survive a trade request from star offensive weapon Deebo Samuel last offseason. General manager John Lynch has proven he is one of the best in the league at what he does, so I would not put it past him to figure out a way to keep his young talented receiver.

In 2023, Aiyuk had a career year with 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns – both personal records for him. Tight end George Kittle, running back Christian McCaffrey and the aforementioned Samuel get most of the limelight, but Aiyuk is another dynamic weapon at Purdy’s disposal.

Should he leave San Francisco, it will be a hit to their offense… but another lucky break for the Seahawks defense.

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NFC West Watch: 49ers LB Dre Gleenlaw likely to start the season on PUP list

NFC West Watch: 49ers LB Dre Gleenlaw likely to start on PUP list

A bit of news coming from the Seattle Seahawks’ primary rival in the City by the Bay. Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune, in a conversation with San Francisco 49ers insider Cam Inman, has announced an interesting tidbit regarding one of San Francisco’s best players: linebacker Dre Greenlaw.

During Super Bowl LVIII, Greenlaw left the game with an injury, which was revealed to be an Achilles tear. Suffering such a brutal injury at the very end of the season was always bound to affect his following season, and it looks like this is going to be the case.

Inman told Bell that Greenlaw is likely going to begin the 2024 campaign on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Should this end up being the case, there is one game in particular that Greenlaw is in jeopardy of missing.

The 49ers have had Seattle’s number the last few years. Obviously, their offense led by Christian McCaffrey, has had their way with the Seahawks’ weak run defense. But San Francisco hasn’t faced much difficulty defending Seattle’s offense either. In the last five games, the Seahawks have only scored point totals of 7, 13, 23, 13, and 16.

The 49ers still have plenty of other quality defenders who are more than capable of making life difficult for Geno Smith and Co., but not having Greenlaw in the lineup will be a massive break for Seattle.

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4 training camp questions for 49ers new-look LB corps

The #49ers LB corps could look a little different this year, leading to some big questions in training camp.

The 49ers linebacking corps has been a pretty substantial key to their defensive dominance over the last few seasons. Fred Warner is the consensus best LB in the NFL and Dre Greenlaw’s ascension into the upper tier at the position has allowed San Francisco to control the middle of the field as well as any team in the league.

2024 comes with a new set of challenges though as the club looks to integrate some new depth and replace Greenlaw who is recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered in the Super Bowl. We’ll learn plenty about how things shake out with that group in training camp, and these are the questions we’ll be looking to have answered:

1. Can De’Vondre Campbell still play?

Campbell was an All-Pro just three seasons ago. Since then his overall production has dipped, but it could be a product of the personnel or scheme in Green Bay. He’s an undeniably talented veteran who should be able to fill in for Greenlaw even if it is past time for Campbell to be that level of player. Playing next to Warner should elevate the 31-year-old. How much it elevates his play is something we’ll be intrigued to see in camp.

2. Will Dre Greenlaw participate at all?

It sounds like Greenlaw is destined for the PUP list which would hold him out of camp and the first few weeks of the regular season. General manager John Lynch said Greenlaw wants to return by Week 1, although the GM did indicate that timeline was probably too ambitious. If Greenlaw participates in any camp though it would be a good sign that he’s tracking toward returning early in the year. If he spends all of camp on PUP, which is the most likely scenario, we can expect a mid-to-late season return if he’s able to suit up in 2024 at all.

3. Who’s the third LB?

While the Greenlaw saga plays out we’ll also need to keep an eye on which player steps in as the Sam LB in base packages. Last year the role belonged to Oren Burks who jumped up to the WLB spot when Greenlaw went down. The SLB isn’t on the field very often given how often defenses run in sub packages against modern offenses, but the winner of that job would likely be the first player up in the event that one of Campbell or Warner are unavailable. There’s a relative lack of experience behind the two starters, which makes SLB a pretty significant question mark and position battle in camp.

4. How are the 2023 picks coming along?

This one piggybacks off the third LB conversation. San Francisco selected LBs Dee Winters and Jalen Graham late on Day 3 in last year’s draft. Neither player contributed defensively as rookies, but there’s reason for optimism about both given the 49ers’ penchant for finding quality LB talent. This is a wide open door for both to step into a starting role as the third LB. If either of them takes that job this season it bodes well for their future as a contributor for San Francisco’s defense. Watching their progress should be a fun aspect of camp this year.

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Dre Greenlaw absence glaring in PFF LB rankings for 2024

Fred Warner is No. 1 in the PFF LB rankings for 2024. The bigger takeaway is Dre Greenlaw’s absence.

Pro Football Focus is dolling out its positional rankings for the 2024 season. The 49ers are typically well-represented atop these rankings, and the linebacker list is no exception. Fred Warner is the No. 1-ranked off-ball LB in the sport according to the football analytics site. Warner is undeniably important to the 49ers’ defense and he is rightfully placed atop the list. What’s more important for San Francisco is the absence of LB Dre Greenlaw in the rankings.

This isn’t to say that PFF should’ve ranked Greenlaw. He tore his Achilles during the Super Bowl in February which puts serious doubt on if/when he’ll be able to participate in the 2024 campaign. Greenlaw is ambitiously aiming for a Week 1 return, while 49ers general manager John Lynch is of the belief Greenlaw will start the season on PUP. Whether the LB suits up at all is certainly still a question as his recovery from the injury continues. Not ranking him is the right move for a list looking to curate the top 32 players at the position for the 2024 season.

What his absence from the list does is underscore the hole he leaves in the 49ers’ defense. It won’t be easy to replace his production. That was abundantly clear in the Super Bowl when the Chiefs took advantage of Greenlaw’s replacement Oren Burks for a handful of key receptions late in the game.

The good news is the 49ers appear to have added an upgraded at LB when they signed free agent De’Vondre Campbell. He was an All-Pro in 2021 and earned PFF’s highest overall grade among regular off-ball LBs. Campbell is still a good player, but not playing at an All-Pro level after two up-and-down seasons for Green Bay in 2022 and 2023.

There’s a chance getting Campbell into the 49ers’ defense and playing alongside Warner will help him elevate his game back toward where it was in 2021. That alone would do wonders for mitigating the loss of Greenlaw.

San Francisco also has a couple of younger options with 2023 draft picks Dee Winters and Jalen Graham. Lynch actually invoked Greenlaw’s name when talking about Winters after the draft.

While there are some options hanging out on the roster, finding an adequate replacement for Greenlaw isn’t going to be an easy task. He was ranked 21st in overall defensive grade among LBs last season for PFF. The year before that he ranked No. 8 in that category.

Greenlaw is a terrific athlete who is a tone-setter on the 49ers’ defense (though sometimes to his detriment). He’s an aggressive, downhill run stopper who has enough speed to play in coverage against virtually any player who’ll be in a route in his area. Alongside Warner they make up the best LB duo in the NFL on a defense that has made a living out of taking away easy throws in the middle of the field thanks to their high-IQ, athletic LBs.

The 49ers defense is still plenty talented and they should be very good again in 2024, but they’re undeniably worse when Greenlaw isn’t on the field. His absence from PFF’s LB rankings only drive that reality home.

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49ers injury update: Dre Greenlaw out of walking boot

Dre Greenlaw is out of his walking boot 3 months after tearing his Achilles in the Super Bowl.

The 49ers on Thursday evening got some good offseason injury news from linebacker Dre Greenlaw.

Greenlaw appeared at the Dwight Clark Legacy Series in San Jose just three months after tearing his Achilles during the 49ers’ Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Chiefs.

He told attendees his recovery process is long and slow, but he did recently removed the walking boot he’d been wearing post-surgery, offering a sign that the recovery is heading in the right direction.

General manager John Lynch told reporters at the NFL league meetings in March that Greenlaw was aiming for a Week 1 return. The GM was more reserved in his estimate, saying the star linebacker is more likely to start the season on the PUP list.

Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group got good video of Greenlaw walking off the stage:

There’s still a long way to go for Greenlaw to return to the field, but his presence Thursday night sans-walking boot is definitely a positive update.

Until he can play again the 49ers will likely rely on veteran De’Vondre Campbell to fill Greenlaw’s Will LB role. While San Francisco would love to get Greenlaw back by Week 1, getting him back at all in 2024 would be a nice boost for their defense at some point in the middle of the year.

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49ers LB Dre Greenlaw eyeing Week 1 return after Achilles tear

It looks like Dre Greenlaw will be able to return at some point this season, with the LB hoping for Week 1. John Lynch is eyeing something later than that.

49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw suffered an Achilles tear in the Super Bowl that put question marks around his availability for the 2024 season. Now the LB is eyeing a Week 1 return according to general manager John Lynch. Lynch is less optimistic about the LB’s quick return.

While Greenlaw is hopeful to be back in the lineup for the 49ers in early September, Lynch is leaning more toward Greenlaw starting the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco.

If Greenlaw does start the regular season on the PUP list he won’t be able to practice, but he’d be eligible to return after four weeks. The PUP three-week practice window works the same as the IR practice window. He’d have 21 days from the time the window is opened to ramp up and get in football shape before the team would be required to activate him or shut him down for the year.

Even if Greenlaw returns by Week 5 or 6 it would be a huge boost for the 49ers’ defense. They added LB De’Vondre Campbell this offseason to likely fill in for Greenlaw. Whether Greenlaw takes back his starting Will LB spot or jumps in as an overqualified Sam LB will be determined down the line, but the fact he’d be ready to play at all is surely welcome news for Greenlaw and the 49ers following the timing of such a devastating injury.

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Former Razorback LB Greenlaw has successful surgery after Super Bowl

Former Razorback Dre Greenlaw had surgery to repair a torn Achilles’ tendon on Thursday.

Former Arkansas and Fayetteville High standout Dre Greenlaw underwent successful surgery Thursday to repair a fully torn Achilles tendon in his left leg, suffered against Kansas City in Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII.

San Francisco’s 6-foot, 230-pound weakside linebacker has been a mainstay on that daunted Niners defense since his impactful rookie season in 2019. He was voted the No. 79 player in the NFL’s “Top 100 Players of 2023”.

Kansas City was being shut out through the first 20 minutes of the Sunday’s game, while Greenlaw was on the field. All of the Chiefs points were scored after he was carted off, in the 25-22 Kansas City comeback victory.

The Chiefs were able to take advantage of the 49ers without Greenlaw, who finished with three tackles. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes went right at Greenlaw’s replacement, Oren Burks. Mahomes targeted Burks’ assigned receiver nine times, completing all nine passes, including a touchdown.

The freak injury occurred in the second quarter, as Greenlaw began jogging from the sideline onto the field, after a change of possession. He fell to the ground and immediately began grabbing his lower leg. He was eventually carted off to the locker room.

“Dre is the heartbeat of our defense … to lose a guy like Dre, it’s tough,” 49ers tight end George Kittle told ESPN. “He’s just such a fantastic football player, and he’s everything the Niners stand for, so to lose him, it just really, really sucks.”

With full recovery generally taking between six and nine months, the 26-year-old Greenlaw could miss the beginning of his sixth NFL season.

Greenlaw had been dealing with some Achilles’ issues this season, limiting him to just 15 games. He still finished second on the team in tackles behind only All-Pro Fred Warner, racking up 120 stops, with 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits and four passes defensed, in the regular season. In the three postseason games, he added 18 tackles, with two interceptions and two passes defensed.

In four seasons at Arkansas, Greenlaw amassed 321 tackles, including 13 for a loss, and four sacks. He also had three interceptions, three fumbles forced and three recovered.

Dre Greenlaw leads the Razorbacks on the field in 2018.