49ers LB Dre Greenlaw injures calf, exits early in loss to Miami
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- In his second game back from a torn left Achilles, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlawwas again unable to finish all four quarters on Sunday afternoon.
More than a week after De'Vondre Campbell declined to go into the game for an injured Greenlaw and was subsequently suspended for the final three games for conduct detrimental to the team, Greenlaw suffered another injury in the opening quarter of Sunday's 29-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Greenlaw, who only returned from a torn left Achilles in a Dec. 12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, departed Sunday because of a right calf injury. Greenlaw had been listed as questionable on the injury report during the week with the knee and Achilles soreness that limited him to 30 snaps against the Rams.
Against the Dolphins, Greenlaw played just four snaps on Miami's first possession before heading off.
"He felt tightness in the calf and once that happened, we shut him down," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "So, we'll see if he pulled it or anything but we didn't test it anymore after that."
Greenlaw was visibly frustrated on the sideline and spent the next few minutes walking and stretching but didn't re-enter and was ruled out just after halftime.
Fellow linebacker Fred Warner, who is one of Greenlaw's closest friends on the team, said Greenlaw was "down" after having to prematurely leave another game, but he understood why it was necessary to keep Greenlaw from going back in.
"That's my guy, I love going out there to battle with him," Warner said. "At the end of the day, it's about saving Dre from himself sometimes, too. He's coming back from a major injury and everybody looks at last game and how great he was. It's like, that's not normal. He's dealing with something significant so we have just got to protect him from himself sometimes."
It's the latest injury setback in an extensive list for Greenlaw, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent after the season. On Wednesday, Greenlaw told ESPN that he can't miss much more time because of what it might mean for his future in the league.
"I think just at this particular time and in my career, you can't afford to get hurt too much more," Greenlaw said. "I don't want to be in this position again next year where I got to watch the whole team do it. I try my best to be as smart as I can on it."
Since entering the league as a fifth-round pick in 2019, Greenlaw has missed 34 of a possible 98 regular season games because of quad, groin, calf and hamstring issues, in addition to the Achilles.
Greenlaw had one tackle against the Dolphins before his exit. Second-year linebacker Dee Winters replaced Greenlaw at weak side linebacker with Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles entering as the strong side linebacker in base defensive packages.
Shanahan indicated Greenlaw would have further testing done this week to see if there was a pull in the calf.
Greenlaw first injured his left Achilles in Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs. It's been a long road back, one that's been filled with stops and starts, the latest coming Sunday afternoon.
With just two games to go, it's possible Greenlaw won't play again this season given that he's struggled to stay on the field after his 305-day layoff.
"I felt for him today," defensive end Nick Bosa said. "He really wanted to play out the rest of this year. He's an incredible player. 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."
Greenlaw wasn't the only injury of note for the 49ers on Sunday. Guard Aaron Banks left with a right knee injury in the second half and was quickly ruled out. Shanahan said it was "most likely" an MCL injury for Banks, who is also set to be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Tackle Jaylon Moore (quad) and Winters (chest) also left the game in the second half and did not return.
