5 things for 49ers fans to know about Dre Greenlaw’s 2025 season with the Broncos

49ers fans are obviously extremely familiar with recently re-signed linebacker Dre Greenlaw, which makes the type of lengthy introduction pieces that 49ers Webzone has been giving to new players unnecessary. But for any 49ers fans who didn't pay much attention to Greenlaw in his year away from the team, it might be worth finding out how things went for him during his season with the Denver Broncos.

Greenlaw, 28, signed with the Broncos as a free agent following the 2024 season, despite a push from the 49ers to keep him aboard. He inked a three-year, $31 million deal with the Broncos, but it came to an early end when he was released earlier in the week. He had an up-and-down season with the Broncos while being limited to just eight regular-season games and two postseason games, but there's also room for optimism when it comes to what lies ahead.

Here's a look at what to know about what happened with Greenlaw after he left the Bay.

Slow start

Greenlaw didn't have the immediate impact the Broncos expected, largely due to quad problems that kept him out for the first six weeks of the season. The problems started when he tore his quad during the offseason, then another injury sustained in practice in July put him back on the shelf.

"It was horrible,'' Greenlaw said of his absence while speaking to the media in December (via the Denver Gazette). "It was a horrible feeling. It was horrible. I'm just happy to be where I am now."

The Broncos brought Greenlaw along slowly due to his injury, as well as the fact that he was still learning his new defense.

"I think it was great the way they did it just for health-wise and mentally just making sure that I'm understanding everything that is going on,'' Greenlaw said. "They do a lot of things on defense. It feels good to finally get some snaps and get a little bit more on the field."

A bit of hot water

As soon as Greenlaw got back on the field for the Broncos, he found himself on the sidelines again for another game after drawing a suspension for chasing and confronting an NFL official.

The incident took place during a celebration after a game-winning field goal that capped a Broncos rally where they rode a 33-point fourth quarter to a win over the New York Giants. The exact details of the incident, including what Greenlaw said to Allen, are unclear, but video footage seems to indicate Greenlaw may have taken exception to Allen possibly shoving a Broncos player out of the way during the celebration.

"I just shouldn't have put my teammates and team in that position," Greenlaw said, via BroncosWire. "That was just, you know, the emotion of the game, first game back."

Greenlaw appealed the suspension, but the NFL upheld its decision without giving Greenlaw an explanation.

"Honestly, they didn't tell me," Greenlaw said. "They just -- show clips or whatever, but they're going to make their decision, and all you can do is just do what they tell you."

When Greenlaw was on the field, how'd he play?

Greenlaw's aforementioned slow start kept him from fully unleashing himself as the season progressed. He said in December that he was healthy but was still learning the ropes in Denver's defense.

"I'm still just trying to feel my way in and execute the defense and play the way I'm able to play,'' Greenlaw said, per the Gazette. "I'm still growing. I know I got plenty left in the tank. I'm continuing to learn the defense and just getting confident in it, and honestly, I haven't even reached half of what I know I'm capable of doing."

The Broncos focused on using Greenlaw against the run while using him less in coverage.

"He's playing good football,'' defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said in December. "He's still playing on a limited snap count, but he's fitting in. He's physical. Our run defense is really good because of Dre Greenlaw. … I've seen his greatest asset to us is in run defense thus far."

Greenlaw saw his regular season come to an early end due to a hamstring injury he sustained late in the year. He finished with 43 tackles in eight games with one interception. Pro Football Focus gave Greenlaw an overall grade of 74.8 on the season (19th out of 88 linebackers). Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post wrote Greenlaw was "a force against the run" in his limited time with the Broncos, but that his lack of usage against the pass put his future role in question, while Lou Scataglia of Predominantly Orange said Greenlaw was "the most talented linebacker on the roster."

Still feisty

Greenlaw didn't lose any of the on-field fire he frequently displayed during his first stint with the 49ers. Here it is on display during a pregame fracas with the Green Bay Packers.

The above incident started after linebacker Alex Singleton took exception to Packers players running through Broncos warm-ups, which led to a shove to defensive lineman Rashan Gary. Things quickly heated up, and Greenlaw ran into the fray and was quickly surrounded by Packers while giving them an earful. That scene won't come as a surprise to any 49ers fans.

Shanahan vs. Payton

Greenlaw made some minor headlines late in the season when comparing the differences between the 49ers' defense and what he was trying to pick up in Denver. Greenlaw suggested things were a bit heavier in Denver under head coach Sean Payton, both in terms of the playbook and the practice schedule. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, Greenlaw said, gave players a lighter schedule.

"Sean's old school," Greenlaw said. "He's gonna do six days on, one day off. He's got his way of doing things. He's going to be practicing three hours on Wednesdays, three hours on Friday. Shanahan, he's the complete opposite. He wants you fresh. It's two completely different mindsets, and they both have their way of doing things, and it's for good reasons, too. But just having that understanding of things, the understanding of the defense, that was freakin' Spanish when I first saw it... it was just ups and downs the whole season, but I feel comfortable about the development I did make."

Greenlaw will be back on familiar ground in 2026, albeit with a new defensive coordinator in Raheem Morris. But if he can stay healthy, it's reasonable to assume Greenlaw can bring many of the same things to the table that 49ers fans saw from him from 2019 to 2024.