The 49ers have a major defensive hole to fill with the loss of linebacker and emotional leader Dre Greenlaw.Greenlaw is expected to sign a three-year, $35 million contract with the Denver Broncos, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Monday, citing sources, and leaves the 49ers after spending his first six NFL seasons with the club.Over the past couple of months, teammates, coaches and executives expressed the importance of the 49ers being able to re-sign Greenlaw, who was a free agent for the first time in his NFL career."You know how highly we think of Dre, and we'd love to have that," 49ers general manager John Lynch recently said at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.But the 49ers and Greenlaw were not able to come to an agreement to keep the union together heading into the 2025 season.The 49ers' connection with Greenlaw dates back to the 2019 NFL Draft, when he was a fifth-round selection (No. 148 overall) from Arkansas.The 49ers were not expecting Greenlaw to be much more than a special-teams contributor as a rookie. After all, they signed veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander to a lucrative free-agent contract. When Alexander sustained a torn pectoral muscle midway through...
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