The Denver Broncos signed Dre Greenlaw in the offseason to bolster their defense, strengthening the middle of the field. Greenlaw missed most of the 2024 season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs. He returned in Week 15, but was shut down again due to calf soreness, which was related to the injury.
Dre Greenlaw’s Crazy Offseason
When signing with Denver, he was healthy and expected to be ready for training camp. The first setback came in late April, when Greenlaw had suffered a quad injury while working out. Head Coach Sean Payton said Greenlaw was in good spirits and remained on track to be ready by the start of training camp. On August 1st, a new injury came on for Greenlaw. Payton confirmed that he was dealing with quad discomfort, but should be ready to go for their first preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.
While Payton remained optimistic, Greenlaw never took the field throughout the entire Broncos preseason. Ever since this comment, the Broncos have faced the same problem with Greenlaw. The quad injury has remained an issue, and the Broncos star has only participated in one limited practice through the first two weeks of the season.
Not seeing a quick solution, the Broncos decided to place Dre Greenlaw on the injured reserve, keeping him out for at least another four weeks.
Timetable For His Return
Dre Greenlaw isn’t expected to miss more than four weeks when he’s eligible to come off the injured reserve. The earliest Greenlaw can return is in Week 7 against the New York Giants. The injury comes at the worst time for Denver, as Greenlaw will miss multiple key games. They have struggled immensely in stopping opposing running backs so far, and the biggest tests are coming up.
They will face Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton this week, Chase Brown, Saquon Barkley, and then Breece Hall. The good news is that if Greenlaw returns against the Giants, he’ll play in a lot of divisional games for the Broncos. After Week 7, Denver plays 5 divisional games, so having Greenlaw back will be enormous.
The question still remains: Why wasn’t he placed on IR sooner? While it’s a simple question, the answer is complicated. My best guess would be that Greenlaw felt he was close to returning, trying to avoid missing an ample amount of time. Also, his status would constantly change because of the setbacks he suffered in training camp and the last two weeks.
