The San Francisco 49ers could be on the cusp of getting one of the defense’s most dynamic and game-changing talents back on the field.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw has been sidelined since the Super Bowl when he suffered a torn Achilles while running onto the field from the sideline, but head coach Kyle Shanahan is optimistic that the 49ers will have him in the lineup with this season’s stretch run looming.
“I think Dre is getting close,” Shanahan said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “I don’t want to put a timetable on it. I’d probably be surprised [if it was] right after the bye week, but I do think after that, it’ll be close to being week-to-week, which means, if everything goes right, that’ll be a sooner week than later week for whatever diagnosis that is.”
Last season, the 49ers acquired former first-round pass-rusher Chase Young at the trade deadline, but if Greenlaw can get healthy, San Francisco would add yet another difference-maker on defense this time of year without needing to trade an asset to do so.
Through his first five seasons, Greenlaw has posted 446 total tackles with 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, intercepted three passes and scored two touchdowns.
After dispatching the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, the 49ers find themselves in a three-way tie atop the NFC West with the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, at 4-4. Adding Greenlaw back in the mix could be a significant upgrade both on the field and from a leadership standpoint for the 49ers.
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