New Denver Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw has missed the first two games of the season and was ruled out of Week 3’s tilt vs. the Los Angeles Chargers with the same quad injury that has derailed him since early August.
Greenlaw will miss more than just Week 3. On Saturday, ESPN‘s Adam Schefter reported that Greenlaw is going on injured reserve.
“Broncos are placing LB Dre Greenlaw on injured reserve due to his quad injury; he now will miss at least four games,” Schefter posted on X.
Broncos are placing LB Dre Greenlaw on injured reserve due to his quad injury; he now will miss at least four games.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 20, 2025
Earlier this week, Broncos head coach Sean Payton described Greenlaw’s outlook as “nebulous.” When the veteran linebacker was ruled out of Week 3’s action, Broncos fans rightly wondered why the team didn’t place him on IR to start the season.
Obviously, the Broncos hoped and expected Greenlaw would be ready at least before Week 4. He’s either progressed much slower than the team anticipated, or he’s suffered a setback somewhere along the way. Let’s hope it’s not the latter.
The Broncos signed Greenlaw to a three-year, $35 million contract back in March. The former San Francisco 49ers standout had dealt with some major injuries over the past two seasons, including an Achilles tear in the Super Bowl. He only appeared in two games last season, due to that unfortunate Achilles.
The Broncos only guaranteed Greenlaw $11.5 million, so they put some guardrails in place to protect them against the vagaries of the injury bug. The team trusted its top-level health and wellness program, which helped pull the Broncos out of the doldrums since Payton arrived as head coach.
Alas, Greenlaw suffered a quad injury during offseason workouts, before the Broncos’ offseason training program began. That kept him out of OTAs. He then reaggravated the quad about a week into training camp.
In Greenlaw’s place, the Broncos have rolled with Justin Strnad. Starting next to Alex Singleton, Strnad has turned in a solid if unspectacular performance thus far.
It will be interesting to see what the Broncos opt to do here at linebacker. The obvious move would be to promote Levelle Bailey from the practice squad to the active roster, but the Broncos could also look for linebacker help on the free-agent market. The Broncos also have undrafted rookie Karene Reid on the 53-man roster.
Recommended Articles
It’s an unfortunate development. The Broncos have a bit of egg on their face, not only because they signed a free agent with very recent injury concerns, but they also erred by not placing Greenlaw on IR to open the season. That roster spot he’s taken up for three weeks could have been used on someone who can contribute.
