The 49ers-Broncos preseason game on Saturday featured a sweet reunion between former teammates Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw.

For six seasons, Warner and Greenlaw formed one of the best linebacker tandems and friendships in the NFL. Drafted by San Francisco in 2018 and 2019, they strengthened the middle of a 49ers defense that regularly finished top-five in the league, and helped the franchise reach four conference championship games and two Super Bowls.

This offseason, Greenlaw departed the 49ers during free agency. Though Warner and the 49ers wanted Greenlaw to re-sign—general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan even flew to Texas to try and get Greenlaw to stay—he ended up signing a three-year, $35 million deal with Denver, joining one of the league's best defenses.

Neither Warner nor Greenlaw played in the Broncos' 30-9 win on Saturday, but they shared a long embrace on the field after the game.

Greenlaw will surely be missed by the 49ers, who likely will turn to Dee Winters as his replacement. Greenlaw's absence was already evident when he was recovering from an Achilles tear for much of last season. It now will be one the 49ers must grow accustomed to as their defense looks to get a boost from their defensive-heavy draft class.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fred Warner Had Such a Sweet Reunion With Dre Greenlaw After 49ers-Broncos.

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