One of the biggest storylines to watch going into Sunday’s matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos is linebacker Dre Greenlaw potentially going up against his former team. Greenlaw is listed as questionable heading into the contest with a quad injury, but he must be itching to go up against the team that cut him after last season.
Greenlaw left the Niners two offseasons ago to sign a three-year, $31.5 million deal with Denver. Year one did not go well, as Greenlaw was injured for much of the season and eventually fell out of favor with head coach Sean Payton.
In an interview prior to this season, Greenlaw talked about how he felt Payton iced him out more and more as the season progressed:
"After [the injuries], you kind of feel when the coach is, like, not really messing with you. I felt alone."
That led to the Broncos cutting Greenlaw loose in the offseason, and it did not take long for him to reunite with San Francisco, the franchise that drafted him back in 2019 and where he turned into one of the most hard-hitting linebackers in the NFL.
Dre Greenlaw has prime opportunity to exact his revenge on Broncos
Greenlaw definitely seems to appreciate being with the 49ers more in his second stint, and he’s played well in the team’s first three games. He is tied for the second-most tackles and looks to be extremely comfortable now that he’s back alongside Fred Warner.
There’s no guarantee that Greenlaw is going to be able to play, but if he is out there, he has a perfect opportunity to show Payton exactly what he is capable of.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has struggled mightily when teams blitz him this year, so maybe defensive coordinator Raheem Morris can dial up some plays where Greenlaw can get after the quarterback.
Blitzing Greenlaw and Warner may be the best strategy Morris has, given how banged up the defensive line has been this season, so if Greenlaw suits up there’s a good chance he’s going to get a couple shots to go after Nix.
Greenlaw’s one year in Denver was not a good one, but he seems very happy to be back with the Niners, and he now has a chance to get some much-needed redemption against the team that gave up on him.
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