San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw has spoken out about the difficulties he faced during his tenure with the Denver Broncos, attributing some of his struggles to the city's high altitude and a series of injuries.
Greenlaw, who signed with the Broncos on a three-year, $31.5 million contract last season before being cut almost a year later, has since returned to the 49ers. While acknowledging that the altitude was not the sole reason for his departure, Greenlaw described the effects.
"F—ing altitude," Greenlaw told The Athletic. "My mouth’s dry, my nose is dry, I can’t sleep. … I’m fighting demons left and right." He contrasted this with his experience in California, stating, "This fresh air, bro, it makes a difference. You feel like you can run all day out here."
His time in Denver was also hampered by injuries. Greenlaw suffered a severe quadriceps strain on the second day of OTAs, which sidelined him until Week 7. He felt the pressure from head coach Sean Payton due to his inability to be on the field.
"We were good, especially when I first came in," Greenlaw said. "And then you pop your quad, people start looking at you. Then, when we played the Jaguars (on Dec. 21), I had a little bit of a hamstring (injury). After that, you kind of feel when the coach is, like, not really messing with you. I felt alone."
He noted that he became more familiar with the training staff than his teammates because he was not practicing. In his eight games with the Broncos last season, Greenlaw recorded 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception.
Greenlaw also admitted that he struggled to master the Broncos' defensive scheme, which differed from the one he used with the 49ers. He took personal responsibility for his performance.
"I don’t blame anything on the Broncos," he stated. "Coming off the Achilles and the calf (injuries), I just wasn’t in the shape that I needed to be to go out there with them and give it all I got. I should have taken it slow. (But) naturally, they’d just paid me, so that’s all I wanted to do — go show them what I could do. And it bit me in the ass, the second day I got there."
After being released by the Broncos, Greenlaw signed a one-year, $7.5 million deal to rejoin the 49ers. He expressed comfort in returning to a familiar environment.
"It just feels like home," Greenlaw said. "I get to still play football and prove people wrong. And that’s what I’ve been doing my whole life."