After injury, free-agent exit, Dre Greenlaw has healthy appreciation for 49ers in return (paywall) “Greenlaw said it wasn’t until midway through the 2025 season that he “adjusted to the normal” post-Achilles surgery: “I kind of felt like I could go and practice and I could warm up and I could do everything, and I ain’t got to worry about no pain, no nothing, I ain’t got to worry about what shoes I got on. All that kind of stuff. So probably about last year is when I first felt like for at least a week
or two or multiple days in a row that I felt like, all right, I’m good to go now.”
He walked into the auditorium at Levi’s Stadium, his playground for six seasons and counting, with a football tucked like a stuffed toy and fiddled with it as he fielded questions. At one point he flipped the ball from one hand to the other, displacing the black foam covering from the podium microphone.
For someone who had been released from a multi-year deal less than a few months ago, Greenlaw, relegated to a one-year contract at age 29, wore a face of relief rather than one of scorn.
“I ain’t got to do nothing more than what I normally do, and that’s just play football,” Greenlaw said. “I’ve never been a talkative guy, a loud guy that’s doing all this. That’s Fred’s job. I just repeat whatever he say. That’s never really been my role. My role was to go out there and just have fun.”
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“I remember in 2021, after the 49ers drafted two running backs. Trey Sermon could get the first crack at it. There wasn’t anything that stood out when Sermon touched the ball. Then, this jacked, undersized, speedy runner wearing No. 49 subbed in with the 3s.
That looked different. It didn’t take long for the 49ers to realize Elijah Mitchell was a better football player than Sermon. By training camp, Mitchell had the upper hand. That carried over into the season and remained true for the next few seasons.
Christian McCaffrey is the unquestioned leader of the backfield. Rookie Kaelon Black and second-year runner Jordan James will duke it out for RB2, while Isaac Guerendo will do everything in his power to remind the coaching staff that he’s still on the roster.
I’d expect James to start out ahead of Black. Now, whether that’s the case heading into August is another story. Both players will have their opportunities during the preseason and even in the regular season. It wouldn’t be surprising if this turns out to be a “ride the hot hand” if neither player separates themselves.”
