After appearing in Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024, the San Francisco 49ers experienced a significant decline last season, finishing with a 6-11 record.
A key reason for their drop-off was the dramatic fall of their defense, which had ranked third in points allowed in 2023 but dropped to 29th in 2024.
While there were many contributing factors to their struggles, the absence of standout linebacker Dre Greenlaw was particularly noticeable. Greenlaw, who ranked second on the team in tackles from 2022 to 2023, was limited to just two games last season due to recovering from a torn Achilles. The timing was unfortunate as he entered free agency this offseason, needing to boost his earning potential.
Despite missing much of last season, Greenlaw’s solid performance was enough to earn him a three-year, $35 million contract with the Denver Broncos.
This leaves a significant gap on the 49ers’ defense, but they could potentially fill it in free agency. CBS Sports’ Douglas Clawson recently suggested that the 49ers could replace Greenlaw with former Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl linebacker Eric Kendricks.
Clawson noted, “Free agency isn’t over yet, and San Francisco can compensate for Greenlaw’s loss by signing former Cowboys linebacker Eric Kendricks, 33, who recently finished a season with 138 tackles. He could be signed to a reasonable one-year deal. The 49ers actually had a one-year deal lined up with Kendricks last offseason before he ultimately chose to join Dallas.”
Kendricks, a 10-year veteran who was a first-team All-Pro in 2019, has accumulated 1,174 career tackles. With nine consecutive seasons of 100+ tackles, it seems unlikely that he will slow down anytime soon.
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