San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw faced his former team, the Denver Broncos, on Sunday. It's clear he still has ill feelings against his former team and his former coach, Sean Payton. In the first quarter, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw a short pass to RJ Harvey, who attempted to run down the field.
Greenlaw tackled him onto the Denver sideline right in front of Payton. This set Greenlaw up perfectly to trash talk his former coach. He pointed right at Payton and had some words for him, although it's unclear exactly what the now-49ers player said.
It's up for interpretation, but it's safe to assume the words weren't kind. Greenlaw's short stint in Denver wasn't great. He originally signed a three-year deal with the Broncos, but only played in eight games during the 2025 season.
He was plagued with a hamstring strain and a quad injury, and he was also suspended for one game for running at a referee after a Broncos win. This past offseason, the Broncos decided to release Greenlaw. It's hard for there not to be bad blood when a player is released.
Greenlaw needs to be careful about what he says to anyone on the sideline as he could be dealt with a penalty of sorts, or even a suspension like he got last year. There was a chance Greenlaw wouldn't play on Sunday against his former team as he's dealing with a quad injury again this season. He was cleared before the game, which was good for the 49ers as they've been hit with the injury bug once again this season.
On the defensive side alone, San Francisco ruled out defensive end Nick Bosa, defensive tackle James Thompson Jr., cornerback Ephesians Prysock and linebacker Tatum Bethune for Sunday's game. Additionally, defensive tackle Alfred Collins, defensive tackle C.J. West and linebacker Nick Martin sit on the injured reserve list.
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