T
he San Francisco 49ers are hungry for a title. Finishing 12-5 and returning to the playoffs after a one year absence, the 49ers saw their season come to a crashing halt in the NFC Divisional playoffs. Despite a promising regular season, the 49ers were never true contenders– dealing with the injury bug that prevented them from reaching their full potential. Heading into the offseason, the 49ers knew that they had a lot to do in order to return to contender status.
And the 49ers wasted no time in bringing in new talent, signing several key pieces to fill holes on the roster such as wide receivers Mike Evans and Christian Kirk. But the 49ers also made sure to add to their defense, seeing some struggles on that side of the ball in 2025. And there is perhaps no signing on defense more notable than the team bringing back linebacker Dre Greenlaw on a one-year deal. Returning to the team that drafted him, Greenlaw will re-unite with Fred Warner in the hopes of seeing the 49ers’ linebacking core return to dominance. A lot of people are high on the Greenlaw signing, including Hall of Fame linebacker Luke Kuechly– who talked about the duo of Warner and Greenlaw being perfect for the team.
Kuechly Talks About the Warner and Greenlaw Duo
Greenlaw spent 2019-24 with the 49ers and while he endured some injury plagued years, he was a key cog on the defense for a majority of his tenure. Putting together back-to-back 100 tackle campaigns in 2022 and ’23, Greenlaw not only played a big role in helping the 49ers make the NFC championship game in both years and the Super Bowl in ’23, he also elevated those around him, including Warner. And now that he’s back, Kuechly is excited that the two are back playing football together.
“I love Fred,” Kuechly said. “hey are perfect for each other. Dre is energy, passion, physicality, toughness, run and go get guys. Fred to me is, when you watch him play the game, it’s fun to watch. He’s smooth, he can run, he looks good in a jersey, he’s smart, her processes well. You can tell he loves the game. Those two together, is a deadly combination.”
Warner has evolved into a top linebacker in the NFL, earning four Pro Bowl honors and four All-Pro selections, but Greenlaw has brought out the best in him. And now that he is back, it is interesting to see if both Greenlaw and Warner can regain their Pro Bowl form.
Greenlaw’s Return
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 draft by the 49ers, Greenlaw quickly became an important player at linebacker and immediately became a star– earning All-Rookie team honors after recording 92 tackles in his first year in the league. From then on, Greenlaw and Warner formed the NFL’s top linebacker duo. But even though Greenlaw enjoyed those big years in ’22 and ’23, he also dealt with injuries, missing most of the 2021 season with a groin injury and playing in only two games in ’24 while he recovered from a torn achilles suffered in the Super Bowl. Following the ’24 season, Greenlaw signed a free-agent contract with the Denver Broncos.
But another injury plagued year combined with inconsistent play led to the Broncos releasing him after just one season, opening the door for a return to the 49ers. If Greenlaw plays well this year, he will be in for another sizable payday– either from the 49ers or another team.
Hall of Fame Linebacker Comments on 49ers’ Linebacker Duo