The San Francisco 49ers‘ injury luck continues to show snake eyes after a team leader left the Miami Dolphins game with a calf injury.
During the road trip to Miami, LB Dre Greenlaw had to leave the field of play with a calf issue. Greenlaw just recently returned to the team after spending the past 9 months recovering from an Achilles tear.
“#SFvsMIA @DignityHealth injury update: Dre Greenlaw is questionable with a right calf injury,” the team’s official X account posted in the first quarter of Sunday’s game.
Greenlaw never made it back on the field, but did remain on the sideline for the rest of the half. At halftime, CBS Sports anchor Matt Lively provided an update, stating that Greenlaw did not look good going into the locker room.
#49ers trail 13-10 at the half. Dre Greenlaw limped all the way to the locker room,” Lively said.
Then, right before the team came back out for the second half, Greenlaw was ruled out completely.
The most concerning aspect of the injury is that it involves Greenlaw’s right calf. The severity of the injury is not clear, but injuring something related to his Achilles is a red flag.
Greenlaw Approaching End of Contract
In terms of bad injury luck, Greenlaw has had more than his fair share. His groin injury back in 2021 happened right before he was set for a huge second contract with the Niners. Instead, he had to settle for a two-year, $16.4 million deal.
Now approaching the end of that extension, Greenlaw is dealing with the same problem. Missing the vast majority of the 2024 campaign due to the Achilles rupture is bad enough, but this new injury may hinder his next deal further.
That being said, San Francisco GM John Lynch recently explained his goal to re-sign Greenlaw. Whether or not this calf injury changes things will be a major talking point.
“We love Dre. We’re interested in keeping him here for a long time, he’s a special player,” Lynch said on KNBR.
Greenlaw is clearly a critical part of the defense, but his current issues with injuries may force the 49ers to take a different approach.
49ers Players Encourage Team to Re-sign Greenlaw
Lynch making an open statement about re-signing Greenlaw is what matters most, but the linebacker has also gotten support from his Niners teammates.
DE Nick Bosa kept it brief but sent a clear message all the same: “Got to get Dre locked in.”
Meanwhile, CB Deommodore Lenoir, who recently signed a five-year, $92 million extension, shared a similar sentiment with a comment.
“I’m praying we resign him back, get our dog back. He looked well worth it.”
Greenlaw has been a perennial starter when healthy, but a second injury puts the situation in jeopardy. If the calf injury has any relation to the Achilles tear, that could put a serious dent in his next deal.
At this rate, the 49ers will probably look for another conservative deal. San Francisco has been diligent about how they approach contracts, and they may lean towards giving Greenlaw a short-term deal to prove that he’s not losing a step.
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49ers Star Suffers Another Injury Shortly After Returning from IR