Expectations for Dre Greenlaw's Sophomore Season
The best play from the 2019 regular season for the San Francisco 49ers came from rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw. When he laid the hammer on Seahawks' tight end Jacob Hollister to make the goal-line stand on the final play of the regular season, the life at CenturyLink Field vanished.
Greenlaw had crushed the Seahawks' dream of clinching the NFC West and gave the 49ers a long lost feeling.
A win in Seattle.
No one could have foretold the stellar season that Greenlaw had. When Kwon Alexander went down, it was viewed as a huge blow to the 49ers' defense. Not only were they losing a stout player, but a leader who injected energy into everyone.
Greenlaw stepped in with immense pressure on his shoulders. Pressure that didn't even phase him. His first start in Week 10 was in prime time against the Seahawks. He almost had the game-winning play in that one when he picked off Russell Wilson in overtime.
Had the 49ers made that field goal, Greenlaw would have been reported to PETA for abusing Seahawks.
Greenlaw did all of that on the fly and with little expectations. Now that he has showcased his talent, expectations for his sophomore season are exceedingly high. That is just the nature of the business since he proved how valiant he is. Greenlaw will need to continue to perform strong and build off of 2019.
One improvement that needs to be made is to be more polished in pass coverage. Cleaning up that aspect of his game will make him less of a target. That is the premier ability that Kwon Alexander and Fred Warner have. Greenlaw cannot be the weak link in that category.
What should be seen of him in 2020 is stealing snaps from Alexander. Greenlaw is the future linebacker next to Fred Warner, not Alexander -- Greenlaw being on a rookie deal and being controlled over the next few years makes it obvious. And Alexander's guaranteed salary runs out in 2021, so after this season it would not be surprising to see him cut in favor of Greenlaw.
San Francisco has to start counting pennies now that they have an abundance of talent. They can only keep so many of their elite players, and need to identify which ones are worth the money. Players like George Kittle, Trent Williams, Warner and Kyle Juszczyk.
I know that Alexander is a fan favorite, but this is the reality of the business. Keeping a talented trio of linebackers in the NFL is not the standard anymore. Defenses in the league spend most of their time in Nickel.
And the current situation the 49ers are in with the salary cap makes keeping three stellar linebackers a luxury, a luxury they cannot afford.
Fans should want to see Greenlaw steal snaps from Alexander. It'll prove he is dethroning him as the better player, which will put the 49ers in a better financial position going forward. Either way, both Greenlaw and Alexander assuredly will be in a rotation with each other.
The 49ers' defense doesn't operate by definite positions, anyways. So seeing Greenlaw and Alexander in rotation out there next to Warner is the most likely reality. Expectations for Greenlaw in his sophomore season should have him refining his skills to help maintain the elite level of the defense. Ultimately, his ceiling should be to see more snaps than Alexander to set up his future.
