Greenlaw shares encouraging update on his recovery from Achilles injury originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Dre Greenlaw’s 2023 season came to an abrupt end after Suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon In San Francisco Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but the 49ers star is on the road to recovery.
While speaking with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Laura Britt at the Dwight Clark Legacy Series on Thursday night in San Jose, Greenlaw revealed he is encouraged by the progress he is making as he works to get back on the field.
“It’s a long, slow process, but I’m feeling really, really good,” Greenlaw told Britt. “I’m happy to be able to go on stage, actually. It’s been about three months since the injury, I recently took the boot off. Just slowly, every day, rehabilitating myself, gaining strength, mobility and doing whatever it takes to get in on the field as quickly as possible.”
Britt then asked Greenlaw about how he handled the initial process of his rehabilitation, which the star linebacker revealed was a difficult time that made him emotional sometimes.
“It was definitely a very, very difficult time,” Greenlaw shared. “Luckily I had my son and my fiancé with me to support me in those moments. I was getting a lot of phone calls and people checking in, but after about a week it passes and you’re just kind of lying in bed. Every now and then you’ll have a memory or a thought about the game and try not to think about it too much, just try to let it go. Every now and then you start to think about everything and where. you are and sometimes you get a little emotional.
“I just know I can’t stop. If I stop, no one will do it for me. I just need to keep going.”
Greenlaw was awarded the 2024 Dwight Clark Award, a prestigious honor given to the 49ers player who best exemplifies Clark’s spirit of teamwork and camaraderie. Fred Warner – who won the same honor in 2023 – presented the award to Greenlaw, with the pair of 49ers linebackers sharing an emotional hug on stage.
While the timeline for Greenlaw’s eventual return is unclear, the 26-year-old remains dedicated to persevering through his rehabilitation to return to the field and help the 49ers capture their sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy that San Francisco narrowly missed three. months ago.
