Dre Greenlaw makes Broncos debut in resilient win over Giants: ‘It’s been a tough journey’
The long journey home is finally over for Dr. Greenlaw.
The veteran inside linebacker made his Broncos debut on Sunday in a thrilling 33-32 home win over the Giants. Greenlaw suffered a quad injury in the spring and setbacks kept him out of six games this season. He started Week 7 with limited snaps.
“It’s been a tough ride. I’m just trying my best to get back on the field. I’m trying to stay healthy,” Greenlaw said in the postgame locker room at Mile High’s Empower Field. “It’s been a roller coaster. But I felt good tonight. I was excited to come back. To be able to be with the team and show them what I could do. It was only 20 games, but I felt like I made the most of it. I enjoyed being back.”
Greenlaw quickly made his presence felt.
He combined with safety Brandon Jones for the first tackle of the game and stopped Giants running back Cam Skattebo for a 4-yard gain. Greenlaw finished with six combined tackles.
“That’s how I play the game. I love hitting people,” Greenlaw said. “I love my job. I love what I do. Football is the only place where you can hit people without going to jail for it.”
Greenlaw also recorded a hit against Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, which helped force an incompletion.
“It was great to see Dre there,” linebacker Justin Strnad said. “Dre is a great, established player in this league. He brings energy. I’ve really been able to build a relationship with him and he’s a great guy.”
Greenlaw, 28, signed with the Broncos in free agency after six years with the 49ers. His deal includes $11.5 million guaranteed through 2025 as a recognized leader in defense. But most of that leadership happened behind the scenes as he tried to get healthy.
It wasn’t a linear path to being allowed to play.
“I didn’t expect any setbacks,” Greenlaw said. “I was expecting to go play from the moment I got here. It all really happened by surprise. I think the Broncos did a great job of continuing to try…and just having faith that I was going to be successful eventually.”
Defensive lineman Malcolm Roach got a behind-the-scenes look at Greenlaw’s return. Both players recovered from injuries at the same time earlier this season, with Roach overcoming a calf strain.
“Seeing the disappointment on his face when (Greenlaw) almost got there, and then something happens. I just know what a dog he was. He gives it his all,” Roach said Sunday. “We saw it in practice, so we know what we have. We just had to let the world see it. Man, when they can get him out of that boundary, it’s going to be crazy. Because he’s downhill. Like I always say, when we run to that ball, you have to watch out for him.
“Because he’s trying to get ahead of me.”
Greenlaw described his own performance Sunday as “solid” and mentioned adjusting to the altitude. He called the fan atmosphere “incredible” during his home opener at Empower Field. This is just the first step.
“We came in with a plan. We stuck to that plan. It worked,” Greenlaw said. “Of course you want to be there every 50, 60 or however many snaps. But we have a long season ahead of us, so there’s no need to go out there and do everything at once. … I’ll have plenty of time to get on the field and make my mark.”
