Dre Greenlaw spent one season with the Denver Broncos. Barring his current quad injury, he could face the same team that released him just a few months ago in Week 4 when the San Francisco 49ers host the Broncos
Regardless of whether he sees the field or not, this will be Greenlaw's first time seeing Broncos head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph since Denver released him in March. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan doesn't expect the linebacker to need any extra motivation, though.
"Dre's gonna be excited for this one, but it's hard to say that Dre isn't as excited as he could possibly be every single week he plays football," Shanahan said. "So it's hard to think he can do more, because he's always ready to go."
The circumstances
behind Greenlaw's departure from San Francisco were more complicated than a simple business decision. As Greenlaw explained this offseason, he kept the 49ers informed throughout his 2025 free agency process, even as he negotiated with other teams. Shanahan asked to be notified before Greenlaw accepted a final offer. San Francisco ultimately could not match Denver's three-year deal and wished him well.
Once in Denver, Greenlaw's season unraveled. A significant quad injury sidelined him early in offseason work until Week 7, and a hamstring issue later ended his regular season. A one-game suspension for conduct following his Broncos debut added to the disruption. Greenlaw also struggled to adjust to Joseph's scheme, which frequently used five defenders on the line, a departure from the four-man fronts he knew in San Francisco.
He finished his lone Denver season with 43 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and two passes defended across eight games before the Broncos released him.
Greenlaw signed with San Francisco shortly after, returning to the franchise that drafted him in 2019 and paired him with Fred Warner to form one of the NFL's top linebacker duos.
The reunion has been productive so far. Through three games, all 49ers wins, Greenlaw has 22 combined tackles (nine solo, 13 assists). He recorded eight in a 36-30 win over the Cardinals, eight in a 35-13 win over the Dolphins and six in the season-opening 27-7 victory at the Rams.
Now he gets a chance to show the Broncos what they let go.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Dre Greenlaw gets first crack at his old team in Week 4 vs. Broncos
