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SANTA CLARA — All it took was one half of one game.
The 49ers’ decision-makers face a lot of offseason decisions about the composition of the team’s roster for 2025. But there seems to be one non-negotiable for those inside the locker room.
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“Got to get Dre locked in,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said this week.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, 27, returned to the field Thursday night for his season debut, 10 months after sustaining a torn Achilles in the first half of the Super Bowl.
Greenlaw played 30 snaps, registered eight tackles, and supplied immeasurable energy, passion and aggression for the defense in the 49ers’ 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Despite San Francisco's 6-8 record, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir said he believes the team’s third-ranked defense is trending in the right direction.
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“We started off kind of slow, but I feel like now with that last game, we’re finding our identity,” Lenoir said. “We found our identity to who we are.”
It is not exactly a coincidence that it also was the first game back for Greenlaw, who missed the first 13 games of the season while on the physically unable to perform list.
“Guy coming back like that, he was probably going to be the Super Bowl MVP if we’d won that game,” Lenoir said.
Greenlaw was part of a 49ers’ defensive effort that held Kansas City to 157 yards in the first half, including just one catch for 1 yard from tight end Travis Kelce. The 49ers played the final 67 snaps of their overtime loss without Greenlaw.
The 49ers signed Greenlaw early in the 2022 season to a two year, $16.4 million contract extension through this season. He is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in mid-March.
Until then, the 49ers hold sole negotiating rights and have the ability to prevent him from hitting the open market.
Even though he was on the field for half of the game on Thursday, Greenlaw's presence was felt throughout the defense — and throughout the team.
Lenoir said Greenlaw’s speed and tackling enables him to clean up plays before they get far down the field.
“I’m not chasing a run from the other side of the field,” Lenoir said. “I know it’s dead at the start of the ball.”
Cornerback Charvarius Ward, safety Talanoa Hufanga and left guard Aaron Banks are among the 49ers’ starters scheduled for unrestricted free agency.
But Greenlaw seems to hold a special place among his teammates. Lenoir described what it was like to see Greenlaw back on the field.
“Ah, amazing,” he said. “I’m praying we resign him back, get our dog back. He looked well worth it.”