The San Francisco 49ers have seen countless players sign elsewhere through the first few weeks of NFL free agency, including veteran linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
Greenlaw, who spent six years with the 49ers, signed a huge three-year, $31.5 million contract with the Denver Broncos. After he signed with the Broncos, San Francisco reportedly tried to get Greenlaw back, but it did not work.
Now the 49ers are looking to find a replacement for Greenlaw, who will play alongside four-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro Fred Warner this upcoming season. A potential option for the 49ers could’ve been veteran linebacker E.J. Speed, but he signed a one-year deal with the Houston Texans on Sunday.
According to Aaron Wilson of KRPC-2, the veteran linebacker reportedly chose the Texans over the 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys.
Ultimately, veteran former #Colts linebacker E.J. Speed chose #Texans one-year, $5 million deal over #Cowboys #49ers per league sources https://t.co/eYSIsXCCzV https://t.co/OQjv9YIJaE
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 30, 2025
Speed would’ve been a nice addition to the 49ers’ linebacker unit, but it's hard to convince the Fort Worth, TX native to leave the state. If the veteran defender will get $5 million from Houston, one has to wonder how much San Francisco was offering.
Last season with the Colts, the 29-year-old defender racked up 142 combined tackles, seven tackles for loss, five pass deflections, a quarterback hit, and an interception.
Speed left much to be desired in pass coverage, with a 46.3 grade on PFF (146th among 189 qualified 189 linebackers). He also had a 79.0 completion percentage allowed on targets and a 95.8 pass rating allowed when targeted but only gave up one receiving touchdown.
However, the veteran defender was much better in stopping the run with a 72.2 run defense grade (53rd).
Nonetheless, with Speed off the board, the 49ers will have to look elsewhere for a replacement at linebacker in free agency. The good news for San Francisco is that there are still some quality free agents available, such as Kyzir White, Ja’Whaun Bentley, and C.J. Mosley.