Even if he has been the head coach of the Houston Texans for a year, DeMeco Ryans is still rooting for his boys in San Francisco to succeed. And he believes that if Dre Greenlaw hadn’t ruptured his left Achilles, they would’ve won Super Bowl 58 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine and made the admission that he was distraught when it happened.
“I talked to him before the game,” said Ryans about Greenlaw. “He was in the right mode. You hate to say this, but if they had Dre, I feel like the game is different. They have, (it’s) Dre because of the impact plays that he can make.”
“I was just like, ‘I can’t believe this happened,” added Ryans. “He was having such a great game, and knowing Dre, I know when he’s locked in. He was locked in. I know he was going to have a good game.”
What happened to Dre Greenlaw in Super Bowl 58?
The incident happened when it was the San Francisco 49ers’ turn to play defense with 9:26 left in the second quarter. Dre Greenlaw suddenly crumpled to the ground as he was casually preparing to run onto the field, which is quite unfortunate.
Fellow defenders Nick Bosa and Fred Warner were stunned after Dre Greenlaw hobbled and was being treated to the sidelines. Moments later, Greenlaw left the field with tears in his eyes after it was confirmed that his 2023 season was over.
“It was hard. Sometimes when things like that happen, it could sway the momentum just because it’s such an emotional feeling,” said Bosa via Nick Wagoner of ESPN. “Dre is a one-of-one human being. He was pushing through so much this year, and I think 99% of players wouldn’t have been able to do what he did.”
John Lynch provides an update for Dre Greenlaw
San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch confirmed that Dre Greenlaw had already undergone successful surgery on his Achilles.
“Tim McAdams did the surgery, and it went very well,” said the 49ers executive. “I know it was a gut punch when it happened. Your heart goes out to Dre because he puts so much into it, and he lives for the big moments, and to not be able to compete, it killed him, and it hurts us because he’s a great player.”
Dre Greenlaw had a standout 2023 campaign for the San Francisco 49ers, recording 120 combined tackles (75 solo), five of which were for a loss, four quarterback hits, and 1.5 sacks. The 26-year-old linebacker managed to have two game-changing interceptions in their Divisional Round victory against the Green Bay Packers.