SANTA CLARA — Dre Greenlaw disproved one of the oldest cliches in professional sports.
There are no moral victories.
What Greenlaw did last week in the 49ers’ 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams should have been national news, coming back 305 days after rupturing an Achilles tendon while running onto the field at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
Instead, Greenlaw’s electric performance probably didn’t get the national buzz it deserved, with the 49ers essentially falling out of the playoff race with a loss and juxtaposed with fellow linebacker De’Vondre Campbell quitting the team and being ordered off the field.
Asked Wednesday if making it back to the field and inspiring his teammates constituted a moral victory, Greenlaw conceded it did.
“Every time, man,” Greenlaw said. “I love giving inspiration by going out to play. I wish I could have did it more throughout the season. Obviously I was hurt, couldn’t do that. but being able to go out there and play as hard as I can, I know it’s going to inspire the next man beside me.”
Although Greenlaw was done by halftime after his knee tightened up, he was arguably the best player on the field for either team in the first half. He had eight tackles, helped stuff the Rams’ running game and looked to be in peak form.
Greenlaw’s running mate for his entire career, middle linebacker Fred Warner, was amazed if not surprised.
“I think an Achilles is probably the hardest injury besides an ACL to come back from in this league, and the way he moved, you would have never known he went through that,” Warner said. “The guy is unbelievable and he’ll only continue to get better from here on out.”
The good news is Greenlaw was listed as limited in practice and expects to play against Miami Sunday as well as the final games against Detroit and Arizona.
“He had a good recovery over the weekend,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.
Greenlaw, 27, signed a two-year, $16 million extension in 2022 and thus is in the final year of his contract and scheduled for unrestricted free agency. So coming off a serious injury is not ideal and showing over the final three games he can duplicate what he did against the Rams is crucial to his financial well-being.
Greenlaw said he isn’t aware of any negotiations between his agent and the 49ers regarding a new contract.
“I ain’t talking to nobody about that. I ain’t even thought about it,” Greenlaw said. “Don’t care to think about it. I just want to play the game.”
Greenlaw played 27 of 30 snaps in the first half against the Rams, and Shanahan said the plan was to get him out of the game in the third quarter to potentially return for the fourth.
“When he did go out there he just felt tight so that’s why we shut him down,” Shanahan said.
Following the game, Greenlaw said he was being wise to shut it down as he attempts to strike a balance between being fearless and being smart.
“Just getting older, don’t want to be always injured, a guy that can’t be available,” Greenlaw said. “Just got to be extra cautious, treating my body right, doing rehab and all that stuff, stick to my routine.”
Shanahan reiterated that Greenlaw’s performance reminded him of his rookie season in 2021, when he had a serious groin injury in the opener and then played sparingly in one game weeks later before being detonated in the regular-season finale against the Rams with the playoffs on the line.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen someone miss 16 games and come back and play at that level,” Shanahan said. “So it doesn’t surprise me at all.”
Greenlaw thought that experience was beneficial to how he performed last week.
“I know what to expect as far as the speed of the game, making sure my body’s prepared for that much impact,” Greenlaw said. “I messed up my Achilles and immediately started rehabbing, preparing for whenever it was time to come back so that whatever game it is I can come back and be myself.”
As far as the 49ers’ 6-8 season, there Greenlaw believes it could be much better with a few more healthy bodies.
“When you get everybody healthy, we’re a really tough team to stop,” Greenlaw said. “This was a year when we had a lot of guys down. You’ve got Christian (McCaffrey) down, a guy like B.A. (Brandon Aiyuk) down, man, that’s confidence right there. So many guys, so many different pieces, it’s hard to know what to expect.”
INJURY UPDATES
Trent Williams (ankle) remains unable to practice, but Shanahan is holding out hope his left tackle will play this season.
“If he could get back to healthy, we’d play him,” Shanahan said. “But, it’s not like that right now.”
Running back Isaac Guerendo went into the Rams game questionable with a foot sprain but played and came out of the game with a hamstring strain. He did not practice Wednesday.
Edge rusher Nick Bosa (oblique/hip) was limited, as was left tackle Jaylon Moore (hip), safety Malik Mustapha (chest) and lineman Nick Zakelj (illness).
CAMPBELL FALLOUT
Campbell’s decision to withhold his services against the Rams, resulting in a three-game suspension, came as a surprise to Warner.
“He was a good dude, man,” Warner said. “I’m grateful for what he brought as a veteran presence. I think he did a good job getting better. It’s unfortunate how it had to end.”
Shanahan said there was nothing in background checks — that included Campbell playing for the Atlanta Falcons while Shanahan was an assistant — that gave any indication of what was to come. The 49ers originally hoped to sign Eric Kendricks after Greenlaw was hurt. Kendricks pulled out and signed with Dallas, as did another potential target.
“We obviously made a mistake, but it’s not something that you don’t look into,” Shanahan said. “You look into everything and you weigh the risk and reward of stuff.”
Shanahan said he has not spoken to Campbell.
NOTABLE
— A day after being waived by the 49ers off injured reserve, cornerback Ambry Thomas was claimed by the Indianapolis Colts. Thomas was a third-round draft pick, No. 102 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
— Fullback Kyle Juszczyk is one of eight finalists for the 2024 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. The others are Seattle defensive tackle Leonard Williams, L.A. Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp and Arizona safety Budda Baker in the NFC and Miami quarterback Tua Tagovaiola, L.A. Chargers defensive end Khalil Mack, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen and Raiders’ defensive end Maxx Crosby from the AFC.
