The 49ers look to return as a key defensive leader midseason

According to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, San Francisco expects Dre Greenlaw to return midseason. With his Achilles heel sidelined at a historically bad time, Greenlaw can be removed from the PUP list starting in Week 5. That seems ambitious for a player who was eliminated early in Super Bowl LVIII, but the 49ers likely won't wait too long. It will take longer for the three-down linebacker to resurface.

The team agreed to several contingency plans to cover Greenlaw's rehab schedule, agreeing to terms with Eric Kendricks and then De'Vondre Campbell. Kendricks backed out of his 49ers promise because the Cowboys offered him more playing time than with the 49ers, where he would have become a part-time player after Greenlaw's recovery. The team then gave Campbell a one-year, $5 million contract as a stopgap deal for Fred Warner. The Packers fired Campbell after three seasons.

Campbell committed a costly pass interference penalty late in the Rams' comeback win on Sunday. It's too early to make a true assessment, but Pro Football Focus ranks Kendricks 21st among off-ball linebackers, with Campbell at 54th. Campbell has played 92% of San Francisco's defensive snaps while the nominal starter /Part-time player Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles recorded a snap rate of 26%. Greenlaw's return should reduce Campbell's workload to Flannigan-Fowles' level or close to it.

Greenlaw suffered a torn Achilles tendon while taking the field in the first half and experienced pain in that area in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. This hit the 49ers at the worst possible time as Travis Kelce took advantage of a suddenly depleted LB corps. Greenlaw was immediately ruled out for the first four weeks of the season as the PUP list became unavoidable due to surgery in mid-February. No timetable was announced after this designation became official, with this midseason estimate coming closest. It's worth wondering whether the 49ers will factor their Week 9 bye into this equation, even though they have some big games – against the Seahawks and Chiefs – coming up in Weeks 6 and 7.

Greenlaw, 27, signed a two-year, $16.4 million contract. The sixth-year veteran has a chance at a big payday in 2025, although he needs to return to his pre-cancellation form. Former teammate Azeez Al-Shair's three-year, $34 million contract with the Texans could be a realistic target. With McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk extended this offseason and Brock Purdy's payday looming, the 49ers will have to make tough decisions on defense. Greenlaw, Hufanga and cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir are unsigned for 2025. However, this group remains intact for now to help the 49ers rebound after a slow start. Greenlaw will soon be part of this squad.