The San Francisco 49ers have hard horrible injury luck at the linebacker position this season. Thankfully, ex-Niner linebacker Dre Greenlaw may have helped them scoop up a solid player after their injuries.
Garret Wallow is a name most fans probably hadn't even heard of before he was slotted to start alongside Eric Kendricks in the Wild Card round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles. Yet, the roster was so depleted that San Francisco had no other choice than to roll with those two guys.
Wallow played very nicely, picking up 11 tackles on the night as the 49ers were able to hold the Eagles to just 19 points on the night despite being down so many key players.
Earlier in the season, Wallow spent time with the Denver Broncos and was asked whether he heard from former teammates like Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga once he got picked up by the Niners, since they were on the team for years.
Wallow said he had not heard from them, but that he and Greenlaw talked about San Francisco a lot when they were teammates in Denver. Wallow didn't go so far as to say that was a reason he joined the 49ers (he is a practice squad guy, after all, so he likely would have taken any job), but maybe that connection helped steer him to the Bay Area in a weird way.
No matter what, the Niners are glad they have Wallow right now. With all of the injuries they've sustained, they've had to adopt a "next man up" mentality all season long.
Both Kendricks and Wallow filled in quite well, and even though it seems like Dee Winters may be back for Saturday's game against the Seattle Seahawks, Wallow may still have to come in, or at the very least, might play a roll on special teams even if he does not end up getting the start.
Obviously, the. biggest linebacker news for San Francisco is that Fred Warner is back on the practice field and could potentially even play in Saturday's game. That would be remarkable given how severe an injury he suffered just a few months ago, but it speaks to his desire to get back on the field and help the team try to win.
Wallow is likely going to have to play a big role again on Saturday though, and it is cool that Greenlaw and him bonded as the former Niner may have given a slight assist even though he is on another team.