The 49ers on Saturday got some of their linebacker depth back. LB Dre Greenlaw was officially activated off injured reserve after recovering from a groin injury. San Francisco didn’t have a full roster so no corresponding move was necessary to remove Greenlaw from IR.
Greenlaw was dealing with a groin issue in camp and hurt it in Week 1 while returning an interception for a touchdown just before the end of the first half. He went to the locker room early and never returned. He went on IR the following week.
It was a long recovery for Greenlaw who missed the requisite three games, then an additional six games. Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated at the bye week there was a possibility Greenlaw could return post-bye in Week 7, which made his prolonged absence a little perplexing. The 49ers opened his practice window before Week 11, but didn’t activate him until Saturday after he’d gotten two weeks of practice in.
Greenlaw before he went down was the 49ers’ starting Will linebacker, which means he was on the field for all three downs. However, Azeez Al-Shaair slid nicely into that role and could conceivably stay there with Greenlaw moving into the Sam linebacker role who’s generally on the field in base packages.
Either way the team’s depth at the position improved dramatically with Greenlaw’s return. Even if he is the Sam LB he’s much more experienced than either Marcell Harris or Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles who were the top two reserves at the linebacker spot.
Defensive end Dee Ford, who’s practice window was opened Thursday, was not activated and will remain on IR with a back injury.
