Seeing linebacker Dre Greenlaw with a team other than the San Francisco 49ers last season didn't feel right. Apparently, Greenlaw felt the same way. He was only with the Denver Broncos for one injury-plagued season, but it was clear by the end of the year he’d fallen out of favor with the organization.
Greenlaw was with a new team in unfamiliar surroundings and wanted to live up to the big contract he had been given. Unfortunately, his tenure in Colorado didn't go as planned, as head coach Sean Payton was rumored to have quickly lost patience with the veteran.
The linebacker said that his relationship with Payton was good, but after he suffered an injury in OTAs, the dynamic shifted a bit. Then, Greenlaw hurt his hamstring later in the season. The degradation of his relationship with his head coach was clear.
“After that, you kind of feel when the coach is, like, not really messing with you. I felt alone," he said.
Apparently, Payton gradually iced him out over the course of the season. By the end, Greenlaw wasn't even the team's starter.
The Broncos' trash is the 49ers' treasure
On one hand, it’s a shame that Greenlaw’s time in Denver didn’t work out. But with every downturn, there is a silver lining. Now, the 49ers have their bully back after a one-year hiatus.
He says he feels like he’s back home, and one can only imagine he feels comfortable alongside teammate Fred Warner again. At their respective peaks, the two were one of the most fearsome linebacker tandems in the NFL. If they can rekindle that dynamic, it will be huge for a San Francisco defense in desperate need of difference makers.
Of course, Niners fans are going to be worried about Greenlaw's injury history. He's only played in 10 games over the last two seasons combined and, with how hard he plays and how ferociously he likes to hit opponents, the odds of him playing in every game are not high.
As long as the interior disruptor avoids an injury of catastrophic proportions, he should be alright. The key for San Francisco this year will be managing defensive injuries that will inevitably arise. They can live without guys like Greenlaw for a couple weeks during the regular season, but the postseason is a different animal entirely.
Greenlaw's return home was a welcome sight for fans. If he is able to find his vintage form once again, then Payton and the Broncos might get a "thank you" card in the mail for being so quick to give up on him.
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