Dre Greenlaw

49ers Activate LB Dre Greenlaw From IR

SATURDAY: Greenlaw will return this week. The 49ers officially activated the starting linebacker from IR on Saturday. The third-year veteran will suit up for the first time since Week 1.

WEDNESDAY: The injury-ridden 49ers are set to see one of their promising young defenders return this week. Kyle Shanahan expects Dre Greenlaw to be activated from IR before Sunday’s game against the Vikings, Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets.

This comes four days after fellow defender safety Jaquiski Tartt returned to the 49ers’ active roster. Similar to the 2020 season, the 49ers have seen a large number of role players spend time on injured reserve — including Greenlaw and Pro Bowlers Dee Ford and Jason Verrett. Recent first-round picks Mike McGlinchey and Javon Kinlaw, who are both out for the season, joined them.

Greenlaw is on track to return after a nine-game absence. The third-year linebacker underwent groin surgery following the team’s season-opening win in Detroit. Greenlaw returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdown in that game but has not suited up since.

A fifth-round pick out of Arkansas, Greenlaw has been a starter since being drafted in 2019. Prior to this extended absence, Greenlaw played in all but three games over his first two seasons. His presence alongside Fred Warner has been a saving grace after the Reuben Foster and Kwon Alexander moves did not work out.

Ford is also set to return to practice, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle notes, following a four-game absence due to a flareup of ongoing back issues. Ford, 30, is still on San Francisco’s IR. It is expected the 49ers will monitor the veteran edge rusher’s snap count, as they did earlier in the season, to accommodate the back issues that Shanahan says “he’ll deal with most likely forever.”

After a one-game 2020, Ford returned to play in San Francisco’s first six contests this season. The former Chiefs first-rounder has tallied three sacks and a forced fumble this year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/17/21

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/18/21

The customary Saturday minor moves avalanche:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

  • Promoted: WR DeMichael Harris

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

49ers LB Dre Greenlaw To Undergo Surgery

This 49ers September is starting to look somewhat familiar. After losing starters Raheem Mostert and Jason Verrett for the season, the team will be down linebacker Dre Greenlaw for a while.

The promising defender is set to undergo groin surgery, according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows (on Twitter). Although this procedure is not set to knock Greenlaw out for the season, he is expected to miss four to six weeks, Barrows tweets. That timetable could be on the optimistic side, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noting Greenlaw could be down for eight weeks (Twitter link).

While this does not quite match the injury misfortune September 2020 brought the 49ers, the team left its opener with some significant health issues. Greenlaw and Fred Warner serve as San Francisco’s three-down linebackers. The former returned an interception for a touchdown in the 49ers’ 41-33 Week 1 win.

A 2019 fifth-round pick, Greenlaw has been a starter since his rookie season. He joined Warner in helping the 49ers transition post-Reuben Foster at linebacker, with Greenlaw also making high-priced addition Kwon Alexander expendable. Greenlaw finished last season with 86 tackles in 13 games during a season in which he missed some time due to a quadriceps injury. He was still one of San Francisco’s healthier starters during an injury-defined 2020 slate.

Azeez Al-Shaair is expected to take over Greenlaw’s every-down role alongside Warner, Barrows tweets, with Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles moving into the 49ers’ base sets as their third starting linebacker. Al-Shaair has started 10 games in three seasons, including San Francisco’s opener last week. A former UDFA like Al-Shaair, Flannigan-Fowles made one start in 2020.

49ers Sign Third-Round WR Jalen Hurd

The 49ers, who made the league’s first 2019 draft pick signing, got even more deals done to close out the week. The following players are officially in the fold:

Hurd, naturally, is the biggest name in the bunch. The wide receiver had an extended journey through the college ranks after spending three years with Tennessee as a running back before transferring to Baylor, where he moved to wide receiver. Hurd had to sit out the 2017 season, but he made up for lost time in 2018 with 69 catches for 946 yards and four touchdowns. He also got some work out of the backfield where he averaged 4.4 yards per carry and added another three TDs.

With those five plus punter Mitch Wishnowsky under contract, the Niners have only two to go – first-round pick Nick Bosa and second round wide receiver Deebo Samuel.