Injuries have impacted the San Francisco 49ers' season in just about every conceivable way.
They've had unexpected season-long absences (Christian McCaffrey). They've seen seasons cut short just weeks after they began (Javon Hargrave). They've lost other superstars for individual games (Deebo Samuel, George Kittle). They've even lost their starting kicker in the middle of a game (Jake Moody).
Bogged down by all the injuries, the 49ers have stumbled out of the gates to a 2-3 start. And they picked a bad season to struggle, because several key free agents could be on the way out the door at the end of the year.
One of those free agents, Dre Greenlaw, is another player impacted by the injury bug. Greenlaw has yet to play this season while recovering from a torn Achilles. But he is expected back sometime during the regular season, and could earn himself a lucrative payday if he shows he's still the player he was before.
Unfortunately, that payday may not come in San Francisco. Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department recently predicted that Greenlaw would land with the new hottest team in town, the Jayden Daniels-led Washington Commanders.
"(GM) Adam Peters will likely be looking for some linebackers in the spring," the authors said. "Luckily, Peters has a connection with one of the top backers who is expected to hit the open market, as he was in the 49ers' front office when the team drafted Greenlaw in 2019."
"Of course, this will depend on how the 27-year-old recovers from a torn Achilles, but he's an elite talent when healthy with over 240 tackles during the last two regular seasons combined."
Greenlaw's injury, which happened in the middle of the action during Super Bowl LVIII, certainly makes his free agency less predictable than it would have been otherwise. He was arguably a Pro Bowl-level talent for the 49ers in 2023, and shined brightest in the postseason with a two-interception performance against the Green Bay Packers.
However, the talent is so obvious that even if Greenlaw can't bounce back to his top form by the end of this season, teams with cash to spend will likely line up for his services. The Commanders might be the most appealing of those teams to play for nowadays, thanks to Daniels' explosion.
Losing Greenlaw would be a tough storm to weather for San Francisco, but they've already gotten a glimpse of life without him in 2024. In the meantime, they hope he can come back soon enough to help turn their season around.
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