49ers' LB Dre Greenlaw starts a tough process to get back in 2024
Besides the pain of losing a Super Bowl in overtime, the San Francisco 49ers are also handling a big blow to their defense. Off-ball linebacker Dre Greenlaw suffered what is expected to be a ruptured Achilles, and it happened in the most insane way. Greenlaw was jumping on the sidelines, and stepped ahead to enter […]
Besides the pain of losing a Super Bowl in overtime, the San Francisco 49ers are also handling a big blow to their defense. Off-ball linebacker Dre Greenlaw suffered what is expected to be a ruptured Achilles, and it happened in the most insane way.
Greenlaw was jumping on the sidelines, and stepped ahead to enter the field when his calf popped. The severity of the injury was evident for sports observers, and obvious for medicine specialists.
David J. Chao, a former NFL team doctor and known on social media for breaking down injuries by video as they happened, immediately posted that it was severe.
Right after that, the 49ers ruled Greenlaw out for the Super Bowl, and NFL Network's insider Ian Rapoport reported that the ruptured Achilles was believed to have happened.
Right after the game, fellow 49ers' linebacker Fred Warner mentioned how crushed he was by the way everything happened.
"I'm sick to my stomach. I'm still sick," Warner said. "I see him at halftime and I'm crying, because I'm so hurt for him, and obviously wanting to win this for him. Sickening."
And now?
The next NFL season is seven months away. The fastest return from an Achilles rupture in NFL history was from former Los Angeles Rams' running back Cam Akers, who came back in less than six months.
If Greenlaw follows the same recovery path, he will be available when the 49ers open their regular season in September. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the recovery can be as fast as four months, but that's mostly for normal life, and not for high-level athletes.
"An Achilles tendon rupture is a common sports injury. People who play sports that involve running, frequent stopping and starting, and changing directions are most at risk. You can also tear your Achilles tendon by tripping, missing a step going down the stairs or twisting your ankle. With proper treatment, most torn Achilles tendon injuries heal in four to six months."
Medicine has advanced over the last decade. There's a risk a player who suffers this injury will lose athletic ability in the long term, but the recovery processes are much more efficient nowadays. However, recent studies indicate that performance in the first year back from the injury might be affected — even though there might not be long-term effects beyond that.
Dre Greenlaw is still a young player, just 26, and he just finished his fifth NFL season. Therefore, there's more than enough time for him to return to play.
His future with the 49ers, though, just became more nebulous. Next season is the last one of his deal with the team, he's slated to make $8.7 million, and a potential decline in performance might affect his future market value.
It's a complicated situation all around, and Greenlaw will have a tough path to come back as soon (and as well) as possible.
How the 49ers can take advantage of Purdy’s last cheap year
Brock Purdy has played two seasons in the NFL
