PFF Ranks 49ers LB Dre Greenlaw 18th Among NFL Free Agents

The 49ers will have to make a tough decision regarding Dre Greenlaw soon.
Greenlaw is the heart and soul of their defense. Without him, they're soft. Not having him this season is a big reason they struggled so much.
But Greenlaw will be a free agent in March, and the 49ers might not be able to afford to re-sign him. Pro Football Focus ranks Greenlaw as the 18th-best free agent available in the NFL.
"Greenlaw worked his way back from an Achilles injury he suffered in the Super Bowl last February but was shut down after only 34 snaps in 2024," writes PFF. "He will still likely see a lot of interest in free agency. He excels in coverage, having earned PFF coverage grades of 82.6 and 79.5 over the past two seasons."
To Greenlaw's credit, he looked like he hadn't lost a step when he made his regular season debut against the Rams in Week 15. He was as explosive and violent as ever. But he re-injured himself and didn't play in the second half. Then he started the following week, got injured on the first drive of the game and the 49ers shut him down for the season.
Considering all the injury issues the 49ers had this season, they probably shouldn't offer Greenlaw a multi-year extension. They can offer him a one-year extension if he wants to take a team-friendly prove-it deal and hit free agency again next year.
If some team offers Greenlaw a multi-year deal, he should take it and the 49ers should not match it.
Don't be sentimental.
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