Dre Greenlaw has underappreciated value to the 49ers
The 49ers have more talent than most teams in the NFL. The obvious benefit of the depth of their roster is that it allows them to contend year on year. The downside is the cost of keeping such a roster intact. It seems that every offseason the 49ers have a new contract extension to negotiate. […]
The 49ers have more talent than most teams in the NFL. The obvious benefit of the depth of their roster is that it allows them to contend year on year. The downside is the cost of keeping such a roster intact.
It seems that every offseason the 49ers have a new contract extension to negotiate. This year it is Nick Bosa, the Defensive Player of the Year sure to become the highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL.
Next year, it could well be Brandon Aiyuk, the 2020 first-round wideout who is blossoming into a superb X receiver for San Francisco.
It is difficult to continue to agree such lucrative contracts for star players and stay under the salary cap, and Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer was asked in a recent mailbag about possible cap casualties for the 49ers in 2024 when they will be expected to have both Bosa and Aiyuk tied down long term.
Breer floated a trade of former third overall pick Trey Lance, who will likely be a backup quarterback if Brock Purdy recovers in time from his elbow surgery, as a possible cost-saving measure. That is understandable given the Niners will probably want to recoup something for Lance if his hopes of being the franchise quarterback are gone.
He also mentioned the 49ers parting with linebacker Dre Greenlaw, describing having both Fred Warner and Greenlaw at the position as a "luxury".
Warner is regarded as the best linebacker in the game, and Greenlaw also featured in the top 10 of a recent ESPN poll ranking players at the position, so luxury could be considered an accurate description of what the 49ers have at a spot not seen as important as edge rusher and corner.
Yet to identify Greenlaw as such misunderstands the value he brings to the 49ers. Though he is not the same caliber of coverage defender as Warner, Greenlaw can still pick up tight ends and even occasionally wide receivers downfield, and targeting him has largely been an exercise in futility for offenses.
Indeed, Greenlaw ranked 10th in EPA per target among linebackers targeted at least 25 times last season, per Sports Info Solutions. Warner was fifth.
Having two linebackers who are so effective in coverage is tremendously valuable in an era in which the Shanahan offense that consistently targets the middle of the field has spread around the league.
Greenlaw is an excellent player in pursuit who can quickly close to the ball-carrier and deliver bone-jarring hits. He relishes the chance to get downhill and the threat he carries as a blitzer gives offensive lines a reason to worry when he and Warner mug the front.
His ability to drop into underneath coverage from the line of scrimmage helps give the 49ers substantial versatility in the different looks they can present opposing offenses. The instincts he has shown in coverage maximize the impact of those looks, with Greenlaw excelling at making plays on the ball. He registered a career-high six pass breakups and an interception last year.
Greenlaw's play style is perfectly suited to the 49ers' fast and physical defense, the thump he brings leading to two forced fumbles last season, including one that proved key in the division-clinching win on the road in Seattle.
Not many teams have a pair of linebackers who are such a beneficial impact on how the defense can play coverage while also bringing a substantial playmaking element and a physical edge to the game. Yet the rarity of that commodity does not mean the 49ers should look to discard the lesser of those two players purely in the name of finances.
Greenlaw is due $9.6 million in 2024, per Over The Cap, but will still only account for 3.8 percent of the 49ers' cap. Just 26, he will be entering the years that are typically accepted as a player's prime next year.
As such, it would be a questionable move by the Niners to part with Greenlaw. Instead, he should be a candidate for another extension that buys the 49ers cap flexibility and time to find a potential successor for when they are ready to move on.
Such an extension may not be easy to do. Greenlaw may, understandably, want to test the market in 2025 and see if he can land a lucrative payday. But rather than identifying him as a potential cap casualty and looking to cut ties with Greenlaw, the 49ers should next year try to find a way to keep an underappreciated asset on the books for at least another few more years.
Fred Warner on the brink of NFL first in 2023 season
No player has ever done this.
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