A total of 290 days on from his devastating Achilles injury suffered in bizarre circumstances in Super Bowl 58, Dre Greenlaw will make his long-awaited return to the practice field for the San Francisco 49ers.

The absence of Greenlaw's physicality, sideline-to-sideline speed and ability in pass coverage has had a huge impact on the 49er defense this season as De'Vondre Campbell has struggled to fill the void.

But Kyle Shanahan confirmed on Wednesday that Greenlaw would practice for the Niners on Wednesday, having spent the entire year to this point on the PUP list.

That does not mean Greenlaw is in line to make his return to game action against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Greenlaw will likely need a longer runway before being ready to play in a game, but his presence back on the practice field can still have a huge impact for the 49ers.

The former fifth-round pick is one of the emotional leaders for the team, and his presence can offer San Francisco some much-needed energy at a point in the season where the 49ers have looked worryingly lifeless.

Now 5-6 after getting blown out by the Green Bay Packers in Week 12, the 49ers should not need motivation to get up for their final six games with their slim playoff hopes hanging by a thread.

However, the prospect of Greenlaw getting back on the field for a portion of the stretch run gives them additional reason to try to stay in touch in the playoff race and ensure he is returning for meaningful football, rather than a team playing out the string.

It's unclear how effective Greenlaw will be coming off his prolonged lay-off, or even how much practice time he will need to feel ready to play in a game.

What cannot be denied, though, is that the 49ers need to stop the rot after successive defeats for Greenlaw to have a shot at having a tangible impact on their fortunes this season.

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A positive step.