Even though the San Francisco 49ers are just 4-4 right now during their bye week, there is some optimism that they can get hot the rest of the season and give themselves a real chance of doing something special this winter.
Much of that optimism centers around the fact that multiple key injured players seem to be on the mend. Star running back Christian McCaffrey has been doing well with his rehab, and there is a real chance he will make his season debut in Week 10 after dealing with Achilles tendonitis for the past couple of months.
Will linebacker Dre Greenlaw has been out ever since he tore his Achilles during last season’s Super Bowl. San Francisco has really missed him, but he seems to be nearing his own return.
General manager John Lynch told 49ers play-by-play announcer Greg Papa that Greenlaw is “getting closer” to being able to play while talking about how much Greenlaw means to the team.
“Well, he’s getting closer,” Lynch told Papa. “Dre is a tone-setter in every respect of that label. I think that’s probably the most positive compliment I can give someone.
“Dre, his physicality with which he plays, his speech with which he plays, his mind. He diagnoses things really quick and he goes at gets it. He’s a sure tackle in space, so much of today’s football is played in space. And Dre, he just eliminates people and options with how fast he plays. When you have him and Fred [Warner] out there together it’s a lethal combination.”
The executive also praised Greenlaw’s work ethic during rehab.
“Dre has done the work, and that’s a tough injury to come back from,” Lynch told Papa. “He’s getting better each week, he’s going to continue to go [when he can return] I don’t know but we’re continuing to be encouraged with his progress and we don’t think it’s far off from when he’s back helping us. We’re really excited for that time.”
San Francisco next plays on Nov. 10 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Perhaps one cannot expect Greenlaw to be ready to play in that contest, but based on Lynch’s comments, a return later this month could be very realistic.
