One of the lone bright spots in an otherwise terrible 2024 season for the San Francisco 49ers has turned grim the day after Christmas.

Ahead of Thursday’s practice, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced the team is shutting down linebacker Dre Greenlaw for the final two weeks of the regular season.

Greenlaw made his long-awaited return from a torn Achilles in Week 15, playing one half in a defensive effort that kept the Los Angeles Rams out of the endzone. The linebacker could not finish the game due to soreness and tweaking his knee.

Later that week, Greenlaw said he was good to go and would suit up vs. the Miami Dolphins. On Sunday against Miami, Greenlaw made his second start of the season. Four snaps later, he removed himself from the game after injuring his right calf.

On the CBS broadcast, sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson said Greenlaw was “yelling, screaming, and limping in pain.”

In a conference call with the media on Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan said it was likely the team would shut Greenlaw down. Shanahan added he would leave the decision up to the linebacker, depending on the severity of the MRI results.

Today, Shanahan said he and Greenlaw talked, and the linebacker understood the decision to cut his return short.

Immediate Dre Greenlaw Replacements

The 49ers’ linebacker core has been decimated this season. Backup Curtis Robinson tore his ACL during Training Camp. De’Vondre Campell is serving a season-ending suspension after quitting on the team amidst Greenlaw’s return, and now Greenlaw has been shut down. Not to mention, Fred Warner has been playing on a fractured ankle for the better half of the season.

Even 2024 seventh-round pick Tatum Bethune, who just had his practice window opened, has spent the last month on Injured Reserve.

Against the Lions, the 49ers will start Warner and second-year linebacker Dee Winters. Warner and Winters are the only linebacker duo with an average coverage grade above 90 in over 100 snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles will likely fill in on base downs. 2023 seventh-round pick Jalen Graham is the only other healthy backup linebacker on the active roster.

While the San Francisco 49ers look to finish the season without Greenlaw, his future is a massive unknown.

Greenlaw’s Future

49ers’ Dre Greenlaw will be an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason. The assumption was if the linebacker could stay healthy, he would ask for a large chunk of change. But now, with his health a question, it is hard to imagine Greenlaw commanding a large salary.

That may work in the 49ers’ favor, as the front office has already indicated they want to re-sign Greenlaw for a “long time.”

But if Greenlaw decides to chase the money, something he has already said he wanted for Christmas, 2024 could be his swan song in the Red and Gold.

On the chance Greenlaw departs, the 49ers could ride with Warner and Winters next season. Another option is scouring the free agent market, an avenue Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder insists upon.

The San Francisco 49ers have two games left this season, and the focus will be on the middle of their defense. Can Winters end his sophomore year strong, making retaining Greenlaw no longer a necessity? Or will Greenlaw be missed enough to make re-signing a top priority this offseason?