When the San Francisco 49ers lost linebacker Dre Greenlaw in the offseason, it seemed like a massive subtraction from the defense.
However, his early tenure with the Denver Broncos suggests the Niners may have lucked out.
Greenlaw has missed both of Denver's games to begin the 2025 season as he deals with a quadriceps injury, and he was also absent for the Broncos' preseason campaign. The former Niners backer certainly has a history of missing time due to injury, so the alarm bells should probably be going off for Denver at least a little bit.
Last season with the 49ers, Greenlaw played in just two games after he had to recover from the infamous Achilles rupture he suffered in the Super Bowl the previous February against the Kansas City Chiefs. He looked great in those two games, though, as he was flying around the field like his usual self and gave the defense a much-needed boost before he went down with a calf injury.
The hope was the Niners could retain him in the offseason to keep the dynamic linebacker tandem of Fred Warner and Greenlaw intact, but it seems Greenlaw wanted to step out of Warner's shadow and go to a team where he could be the main guy.
He is not the only former 49er on the Broncos defense, as safety Talanoa Hufanga also went to Denver in the offseason, and they both joined former Niners defensive lineman D.J. Jones.
Even though Greenlaw has missed the first two weeks of the regular season, the hope is Denver can get him back fairly soon. He did at least practice last week, so that is a good sign as he tries to get on the field to make his 2025 debut.
As for the 49ers, so far they have not missed Greenlaw as much as they were likely anticipating.
Thankfully, third-year linebacker Dee Winters has stepped up and has even drawn comparisons to Greenlaw with the ferocity he has brought to the field in the first two weeks of the season. Winters had an unnecessary roughness call in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints for a late hit out of bounds, which is something Greenlaw did often as the enforcer on San Francisco's defense.
It is still early in Greenlaw's tenure with the Broncos, so he could get back on the field and start dominating.
But, given his injury history, the $31.5 million contract Denver gave him, and the fact that the Niners may have found a suitable replacement already, San Francisco may not be too upset Greenlaw departed in free agency.