MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — After playing just one series, Dre Greenlaw exited the 49ers' game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday with calf tightness in the leg opposite of his surgically repaired Achilles.
The loss of San Francisco's starting linebacker mirrored the team's eventual disappointing 29-17 loss at Hard Rock Stadium. Without Greenlaw, the 49ers allowed Dolphins running back De’Von Achane to collect 190 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
After the game, fellow linebacker Fred Warner shared that as much as he has enjoyed playing alongside Greenlaw again, the 49ers need to keep his future in mind when making decisions about whether or not his comeback can continue.
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“We see the difference from last game when he’s out there,” Warner said after Sunday's game. “That’s my guy. I love going out there to battle with him, but at the end of the day, it’s about saving Dre from himself sometimes, too.
“He’s coming back from a major injury. Everybody looks at last game and how great he was, but that’s not normal; he’s dealing with something significant, so we have to protect him from himself sometimes.”
Missing time is not what Warner or Greenlaw wants, but it might be the only viable plan -- especially considering San Francisco has been eliminated from NFL playoff contention. Defensive end Nick Bosa understands the conflict between wanting to play and being cautious after dealing with his own hip/oblique injury.
“Yeah, I felt for him today,” Bosa said. “He really wanted to play out the rest of this year. He's an incredible player and I think sometimes with him, we need to protect him from himself because he’ll play through anything. And sometimes when you go through an injury like that and it's not ready, I think the best thing for him would be to take it as slow as he can.”
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After working diligently to return to the field following his torn Achilles suffered in Super Bowl LVIII, Greenlaw had aspirations of making an impact in the second half of the 2024 NFL season. In Week 16, the linebacker showed how much he could affect a game, leading the team with eight tackles after only playing the first half.
“Yeah, he’s down," Warner said of Greenlaw's most recent setback. "Dre is built the right way; he wants to be out there, he wants to help us win games. That’s my brother at the end of the day, like I said, we have to hold him back from hurting himself more.”
It is unlikely that Greenlaw appears in the 49ers' final two contests of the season.