Old friends, new rivals: 49ers set for reunion with Greenlaw and Hufanga
Denver signed away two of San Francisco's top defensive players in the offseason, giving big deals to linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga.
'I love seeing them," Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said ahead of the joint practice. "I don't really like practicing or playing against guys that I really like and have a lot of love for, but I (will) enjoy seeing them.'
Greenlaw and Hufanga are not the only prominent former 49ers now playing in Denver. Defensive tackle D.J. Jones is entering his fourth season with the Broncos after starting his career in San Francisco and former Niners first-round tackle Mike McGlinchey is in his third season with the Denver.
Greenlaw and Hufanga will likely get the most attention this week.
Greenlaw was the emotional leader of San Francisco's defense since being drafted in 2019 and the torn Achilles tendon that knocked him out of the Super Bowl following the 2023 season and most of last season played a big role in San Francisco's defensive decline.
Hufanga, a fifth-round pick in 2021, was an All-Pro the following season before injuries hampered him in his final two seasons with the Niners.
Both got lucrative contracts in free agency that San Francisco was unwilling to match as the Niners spent the offseason trying to get younger and cheaper on defense.
The new-look defense that could feature as many as eight new starters this season gets one of its first big tests this week and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is excited to see how his young players fare.
'The challenge now is going to be a completely new opponent with no preparation because we're not preparing for Denver,' Saleh said. 'We're just lining up. Just throwing it on the field and seeing how they play. So, we're really excited to see how it goes and fully expecting some lumps along the way. But one thing is for certain, I do think that their competitive drive is going to be there.'
Shanahan typically likes joint practices but had to cancel his only session last summer against New Orleans because the Niners were dealing with too many injuries.
San Francisco also will hold a one-day joint practice next week before playing the Las Vegas Raiders.
'I think it's really valuable,' Shanahan said. "Sometimes you can't do it. I'd always would like to do it. I'm more excited just going against someone once. In the past I've always done two days, and I'm always really excited by the end of the first day. I'm always wishing we didn't have to go the second day. So, kind of glad we're ahead of that on this. It's always good to go against different schemes too. Different players. We're going against each other every day. Same guys, same scheme. It gets a little bit old and it's a good way to switch it up.'
Shanahan said the second day of joint practices sometimes leads to fights as the team that fared worse on the first day comes out more aggressive on day two.
Shanahan said he and Broncos coach Sean Payton will script out the session ahead of time and that Denver will offer a stiff challenge thanks to one of the league's top defenses and a strong offensive line.
'I think the Broncos have a very good team,' Shanahan said. "They were sneaky good last year. You could see them improve throughout the whole year. They got a bunch of good, young talent and they had a bunch of good players already. So, I expect them to be one of the better teams in the league this year.'
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