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49ers shut down key defender for remainder of season

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Dec 26, 2024 3:40 PM ET

The San Francisco 49ers are shutting down one of their most important defenders for the final two games of the season.

Coach Kyle Shanahan announced Thursday that linebacker Dre Greenlaw will not play in the team’s final two games of the season. Greenlaw only just returned to action after suffering a torn Achilles in last year’s Super Bowl.

The 49ers are shutting Dre Greenlaw down for the season

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) December 26, 2024

The move appears precautionary more than anything else. Greenlaw was dealing with a calf injury on Sunday, which was his second game back from the injury. The 49ers lost that game to Miami and were eliminated from playoff contention as a result, so there is little reason to force the issue regarding Greenlaw.

Greenlaw wound up playing only two games this season due to his lengthy recovery from the Achilles injury. The irony of this is that his return spurred De’Vondre Campbell to quit on the 49ers. Had he simply not done that, Campbell would probably have his starting job back now.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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