SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- In any given week, linebacker Dre Greenlaw is the player the San Francisco 49ers expect to see providing the most energy on game day.
On Sunday, with the Denver Broncos -- the team that released him in the offseason on the other side -- Greenlaw's cup of emotion didn't quite run over. But it came close.
During the Niners' 24-14 win to improve to 4-0 on the season, Greenlaw, on multiple occasions, pointed and yelled at Denver coach Sean Payton and the Broncos sideline. When it was over, Greenlaw ran to midfield and again seemed poised to say his piece as fellow linebacker Fred Warner corralled him and led him away from Payton and the fray.
"I was half blacked out, but I just know my teammates just had my back, and they just told me to be smart," Greenlaw said. "I'm thankful to have the teammates that just have my back and just understand me. ... They helped a lot."
Asked what happened in the moment, Warner, with a smile creeping across his face, said the moment was "blurry" in his mind.
"There was definitely something a little extra for him this week," Warner said. "He had extra emotion going in this game. I told him just to use it wisely, which he did. I was proud of him and played a heck of a game. He's played great all year, continuing to play great for us. I'm glad he's on our side now."
Indeed, Greenlaw largely channeled that energy into on-field production. He led the Niners with 12 tackles on a day when San Francisco's defense did most of the heavy lifting in holding the Broncos to 4.6 yards per play and 3.7 yards per carry.
"I don't know if you can ever have more fire than Dre on Sundays," running back Christian McCaffrey said. "To get a revenge game for him was awesome."
Entering Sunday, Greenlaw was questionable because of a bruised quad he suffered in last week's win against Arizona. Greenlaw told ESPN after the game he "wasn't going to miss this one."
Asked about Payton after the game, Greenlaw told reporters, "I just haven't talked to him in months or even since I was on the team so it's kind of like it's just a lot."
For his part, Payton said he took no offense to Greenlaw's visible and verbal passion.
"I think the world of him, love everything about him, he plays with that emotion, [it's] all good,'' Payton said.
Greenlaw is back with the 49ers, the team that picked him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft, after a one-year stop in Denver. In March 2025, Greenlaw became an unrestricted free agent for the first time.
Despite coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch flying to Texas to convince him to stay at the last minute, Greenlaw stuck with his oral commitment to the Broncos and signed a three-year, $31.5 million deal.
In Denver, Greenlaw dealt with injuries, missing eight games because of quad and hamstring issues and serving a one-game suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct toward a referee.
In May, Greenlaw called that year "real tough" and acknowledged he often found himself longing to return to San Francisco. The Broncos released him on March 12, and he signed a one-year, $7.5 million with the Niners soon after.
Through four weeks, Greenlaw is second on the Niners with 34 tackles and has a forced fumble while reclaiming his place as one of the 49ers' primary defensive leaders.
"We knew he'd be excited going into this game," Shanahan said. "Dre's excited going into every game, but this one meant a little more to him. I was a little nervous there in the first half. We told him you can get close, but don't be so excited you give them an explosive with 15 [yards] ... Dre held his emotions good enough today and led the team in tackles and had an unbelievable game. He's had an unbelievable season so far and we're so happy to have him back at home."
