When will the Denver Broncos get Dre Greenlaw back? | The Rundown

When will the Denver Broncos get Dre Greenlaw back? | The Rundown

[Music] When will the Denver Broncos potentially get a look in the regular season at one of their biggest acquisitions of the off season in Dre Greenlaw? Is Jamal Murray gearing up for a potential career type year in 2025 2026? And do the Denver Nuggets, after a busy off season, have the requisite pieces in place around Nola Joic to return to and potentially win another NBA championship. All things to come on today’s rundown, but we begin with a shout out to our friends at Denver Regenerative Medicine. Guys, if weight loss has been a struggle for you, it’s time for something real. At Denver Regenerative Medicine, they use full strength GLP-1 medications with Dr. Oversight. You can start today with a free consultation and get real results for under $300 a month. Book now at denver regen.com. The Broncos are back in action practice-wise this week after returning from London after the ugly offensive performance at Tottenham Hopsburg Stadium, which was bailed out by a pretty stellar and borderline historic defensive performance. And one of the biggest notes and news to come out of practice this week was that Dre Greenlaw, the linebacker who the Broncos acquired in the off season, one of their crown jewel early pieces alongside Talano Huanga in terms of incoming players to help bolster and fortify a defense that was already coming off of a strong 2024 campaign. hasn’t really manifested though because here in Denver, the Broncos nor us have really gotten a good look at Dre Greenaw in a practice setting or otherwise because basically from the time he was acquired here until now, there has been a significant number of of minor setbacks and tweaks. He had a quad injury uh in in training camp and in the preseason pulling up on a coverage route in pass protection. uh a and he was unable to really participate in any form of of significant mini camp OTAA or training camp activities. He was not a factor in the preseason. He was placed on injured reserve to start the regular season, but now he has been activated off of IR or designated to return off of IR, I should say. And for the first time in the regular season, thanks to our friend Andrew Mason, our senior Broncos writer, denverports.com, we got to look at Dre Green Law on the practice field for the Denver Broncos. Take a look. [Music] Not a lot to go off of there. Doing some individual work, working some bag drills, some footwork, things like that. But hey, when you’ve had the hype built up around the signing that the Broncos had when acquiring Dre Green Law, because let’s not forget this was a player that when healthy was a dynamic, gamechanging, ball hawking, heat-seeking missile sideline to sideline linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers. The complexity change from their defense with Dre Green Laian inserted into the lineup from when he was absent after tearing his Achilles in that Super Bowl for San Francisco was stark. So stark that general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan got on a plane to fly to Green Law personally to try to convince him during the free agency process to stay. Green Law elected not to go. he arrives here in Denver and spoke to the media in the preseason about how he felt as chosen as he’s ever felt in his life by the Denver Broncos as someone who grew up in the foster care system and had an upbringing that certainly was lacking that in certain areas at least by his own account and retelling of it. So, there was so much buzz around this signing because the Broncos defense, as I mentioned, coming off of a 2024 campaign where outside of a little bit of a dip when Riley Moss got injured and on the back half of the season there, the Denver Broncos defense was performing as one of, if not the best defenses in the NFL. And there’s always, especially on the defensive side of the ball, I think a struggle to try to repeat and replicate that kind of dominant production and performance week to week and then season to season. Well, the Broncos defense has started out that way. You could argue maybe a little bit of bend but don’t break in the first handful of weeks. The Titans game, given what we’ve seen from the Titans in the next five weeks since they played Denver, hasn’t been all that impressive or encouraging. They fired their head coach Brian Callahan in the middle of this season and they’ve got a rookie in Cam Ward who is still taking some lumps at the NFL level with a talent that is not very uh with a roster that is not very talent laden around him. And then the Colts and Chargers games back toback, you get walked off in consecutive weeks. the defense not getting the level of ineptitude that they had against the Jets from the offense for sure, but kind of a hot and cold streaky nature there and then unfortunately just having a bendable breakable move or drive at the end of the penalty with leverage against the Colts and then against the Chargers. Just unfortunately being uh field position wise a little too close to allow for a kicker for the Chargers to walk it off. But really since then, the Denver Broncos defense, which is averaging five sacks per game on pace to break the single season sack record set by the 84 Bears by eight sacks if you were just to do it in a 16 game sample size like they did in 1984. They’re on pace to break the single season sack record of 72 in 15 games on their current projection. You couple that with a back end that is spearheaded by the reigning defensive player of the year and Patrick Certan plus Riley Moss plus Taleno Hufanga. You’ve got Alex Singleton and Justin Cernod holding things down in the middle as best that they can. So adding Dre Greenaw to a defense that has already performed through six games the way that we’ve seen is such a tantalizing prospect because of what we know Dre Green Law’s ceiling to be when he’s healthy in a star-studded talented defense like he had in San Francisco and like he currently has here in Denver. That being said, while I understand the urgency and the desire from the Denver Broncos perspective to try to put Dre Green Law back into the lineup as soon as humanly possible to try to get that ball rolling and begin the ROI on the investment over multiple years that they made in the offseason. I think the Denver Broncos should be cautious with how they handle this Dre Green Law situation now that he is designated to return from injured reserve because an a reinjury or another setback compounded by the setbacks that have taken place up to this point since Greenlaw set foot at Broncos Park powered by Common Spirit. It makes me a little bit anxious to say he is now designated to return off of injured reserve and we have to throw him in right away. If he is healthy and ready and available, I’m sure he wants to get out there, then great. But unless there is 100% certainty in the mind of the team medical facility, uh in the mind of Bo Lowry, the athletic trainer, Shawn Payeyton, Vance Joseph, etc., that Dre Green law can go out there with the least amount of risk of reinjury that you could imagine. I am okay with waiting even one more week or so to allow Greenlaw to reaclimate in a practice setting and get ready to be out there on Sundays flying around. Drelaw only has one pace of play and it’s what’s made him one of the best linebackers in the National Football League over the course of his career when healthy. However, given the fact that his start here in Denver was bumpier than expected from an injury perspective from basically mini camp and OTAAS through training camp, preseason, and now into the regular season, I think it is imperative that Shawn Payeyton, Vance Joseph, Bo Lowry, etc. as the decision makers for the Denver Broncos exercise caution, discretion, and maybe even overly so when evaluating this Dre Green Law situation. Alex Singleton and Justin Cernod may not be the two most talented, best options side by side to put together on this Broncos roster at the linebacker position, but the Broncos defense as a whole has been operating well enough that I don’t think there’s such a desperate need to rush Dre Green Law back in his first opportunity to return from injured reserve now that the designation has been put in place and he’s back at practice for the first time this week. I don’t think that sense of urgency is so strong that it’s worth potentially rushing things and opening the door even further for a reinjury in which case it would almost feel like Dre Greenaw may have to be shut down for the season at that point especially if it is a reagravation or reinjury to the quad that he’s currently recovering from. Dre Green Law has the capability from a talent perspective and a mentality perspective to seamlessly fit into this Broncos defense and take it to another step higher than they’ve already established with a a lofty floor in this 2025 season. I just don’t want it to happen too fast. And given the way that we’ve had to wait six potentially seven weeks now, I’m okay if it takes one week more down that road. if it makes everyone involved feel better about the possibility for Green Law to be a long-term contributor in the regular season and potentially postseason for the Denver Broncos. The Denver Nuggets are continuing their preseason campaign. They got their third consecutive win of the preseason against the Chicago Bulls. And we’re starting to see some elements of the new look Nuggets in 2025 that should give people a lot of encouragement as we prepare for the 2025 regular season to kick off in just a handful of days. Jamal Murray coming out the way that he did against the Chicago Bulls looking fast, looking decisive, looking lean, and looking like the hunter killer Jamal Murray, who has been a merchant of big plays and big game moments in the regular season and the postseason. He hasn’t been able to maintain that, but he has shown that capability and that rising ability as the greatest riser from regular season to postseason when you’re talking about points per game. That Jamal Murray that we’ve seen at the peak during the title run who was forcing Anthony Davis to solemnly admit that Jamal Murray made a shot in his post game. who was hitting a basket against the Phoenix Suns during their title run year to put Kevin Durant and the Suns to bed and turning to Kevin saying, “We’re built for this.” That Jamal Murray was a glimpse of who we got last night as he puts up 30 points. He was heating up uh at the free throw line and overall just as a ball mover and a passer looking like he is ready to begin the regular season in 2024 or 2025 on a tear. And it wasn’t just Jamal that performed well overall against the Bulls. When you’re looking at a big four for the Denver Nuggets, Nicole Joic going 188 and eight. Jamal Murray, as I mentioned, 50% from the field, perfect from the free throw line, 30 total points. Aaron Gordon showing that he still has prowess and capability to hit from beyond the arc. His improvement as a shooter is something that I think will be studied in textbooks years from now given where he started with the Nuggets and where he has kind of molded and transitioned to with his current role in 2025. And then Cam Johnson, the obvious uh big move and shake of the offseason for the Nuggets, shipping out Michael Porter Jr. to bring in Cam Johnson from the Brooklyn Nets, giving you 11 points, 50% from beyond the arc, and somebody who I think is going to have a continuously growing role and that Nicole Joic has spoken positively of already during this off season and preseason. The Denver Nuggets undid so much of the narrative that was built around them during this past offseason under the Malone and Booth era with the contrasting philosophies of give me veteran capable shooters off of my bench that I can deploy in the regular season and not have to switch up in the postseason that Michael Malone wanted. and the draft and develop play the pups mentality from Calvin Booth that contributed to and led to one of the more toxic butdding of heads in the entire history of the franchise leading to both of their dismissals last year with three games left in the regular season and beginning the David Adelman era in somewhat turbulent fashion. Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace as co-executive vice presidents leading this front office for the Denver Nuggets into their new era of basketball undid so much of the narrative of what we thought was impossible and possible for this Nugget squad. They make one of the bigger trades in recent history for the team, shipping out a core member in Michael Porter Jr. to bring in Cam Johnson. They bring back Bruce Brown. They sign Tim Hardaway Jr. who I think is going to be a sneaky underrated member of this Bron this Broncos this Nuggets rotation and they trade for Jonas Valenunis giving them maybe the best backup big for the Nuggets since Nicole Joic held that role behind Ysef Nerkage. So while Ben Tenzer and Jonathan Wallace have undone so much of the narrative that was existing before their tenure started with Calvin Booth and Michael Malone. The question still remains, has there been enough of putting pieces around Nicole Joic from a shot creator standpoint, from an efficiency standpoint, from a playmaker standpoint, and from a talent standpoint, around the greatest player on earth, in my humble opinion, to bring this team back to an NBA finals and potentially bring a second NBA championship to the city of Denver after just securing their first a handful of years ago. My answer already is I think yes. I think the moves on paper that have been made from Cam Johnson to Yonas Valenunis to bringing back Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. combined with the players that were shipped out in Michael Porter Jr. and the way that that’s going to change the complexity of the starting five and allow the offense to move and breathe more freely. I think the philosophical approach of David Adelman, which will contrast from what we saw with Michael Malone. And if you’re telling me that I’m getting a lean, mean, hungry, and dangerous Jamal Murray like we saw against the Chicago Bulls most recently in the preseason, I don’t know how many teams in the NBA can withstand that kind of onslaught with that much talent and that much chemistry and cohesion that the Denver Nuggets have over a sevename series in the postseason. I acknowledge that the Oklahoma City Thunder, who can run nine, 10 plus deep in the postseason and locked up a bunch of their young and hungry talent in this past offseason after winning the NBA title with the MVP and Shay Gilis Alexander. I acknowledge that you still have to get through them to go into the NBA finals out of the Western Conference. Houston will attempt to make a a a return to glory there with Kevin Durant coming over. A and the Western Conference moving and shaking as a whole, I think, has a tougher path than the East. All of that is true, but I’m telling you, I just can’t see from a talent perspective and a chemistry perspective. How many teams can fully withstand the Denver Nuggets in a seven game series? Cuz it took the reigning champs seven games to get through Denver last postseason. And now I think playing with the limitations that they played last season with injuries to Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. having basically one arm and an unusable shoulder with added depth and bench scoring that should be available this postseason and this regular season that wasn’t there last year. I think this is shaping up to be a massive season for the Denver Nuggets. And I think that this is probably their best opportunity from a roster construction standpoint to return to a championship series since the year they won the title. It’s going to be fascinating to keep tabs on all of it. The Denver Broncos heading into a pretty significant and important game in my opinion against the New York Giants. While it’s not an AFC game, I think that with how congested and convoluted and frankly wide open the American Football Conference is in the NFL this year with the upside down nature of the Baltimore Ravens falling in freef fall week to week. The Buffalo Bills from a defensive standpoint especially looking as toppsyturvy and unreliable as they have for a handful of years now. The Chiefs starting off with their worst start in the Patrick Mahomes era, but starting to kind of figure things out. The Colts, the Chargers, the Patriots, with Drake May, another fellow member of Bo Knicks’s quarterback draft class, kind of seeming to turn things around in a hurry. This game against the Giants proving that the the Broncos team that we saw go into Philadelphia and beat the reigning Super Bowl champions is more indicative of who they are than the following week at Tottenham Hops Stadium with the embarrassing performance offensively against the winless New York Jets. this Giants game resulting in validating that response for the Broncos, saying that they are who their record and their talent from a roster construction perspective seem to be will be important. Keeping pace in an AFC that is tight, that is kind of upside down compared to what it’s been in recent years. and keeping pace in the AFC West where yes, they are currently tied at the top with the Chargers, but they lost head-to-head to the Chargers and the Chiefs lurking one game behind. all of these things. I know it’s not technically an AFC opponent, but this is an important game for the Broncos because the Giants are gaining momentum, too, and confidence week to week with Jackson Dart being inserted in the lineup and that dynamic duo with Cam Scataboo who has kind of breathed life and energy and juice into this Giants team, which especially on the defensive side of the ball, specifically the defensive line, has maybe more talent than their current record and perception may allow. Zack B pointed out on the drive yesterday and I think it’s worth rementioning, Jackson Dart is currently the betting favorite to win offensive rookie of the year and Abdul Carter for the Giants is currently the number one odds on favorite to win a defensive rookie of the year. So, you got the best offensive rookie in football and the best defensive rookie in football from an odds perspective, both existing on the team that’s going to come to Empower Field this Sunday on the day that they honor Dearius Thomas, on the day that there’s a Super Bowl 50 reunion of sorts with the Ring of Honor induction. And I think that there it will be an emotionally charged game. It will be a game that is going to be a circle on the calendar when we look back. I think whether they win or lose, I think this is a game that will go back to and say, “Hey, the result of this game kept things going in the right direction or maybe was the start of a stumble that we were hoping wouldn’t come when we were projecting things at the start of the season.” As I mentioned, the Nuggets who are continuing their preseason campaign. They’ve got the Oklahoma City Thunder up next with the regular season right around the corner. The Avalanche continuing their hot start to the season outside of the blip game against Miko Randon and the Dallas Stars. They have looked like a wagon offensively and Scott Wedgewood holding things down between the pipes for Mackenzie Blackwood has performed about as good as any goalender in the National Hockey League. And yes, the baseball playoffs, which we know the Rockies will never be a part of in maybe our lifetimes, but there’s a lot of things going on there. and and I think the the result of this World Series uh uh could potentially have a significant influence on a major shift in Major League Baseball when you talk about bringing a salary cap and things into play with the collective bargaining agreement up for renegotiation and the potential for a lockout and the salary cap campaign would likely be either headed by or significantly supported by Rocky’s owner Dick Manfort. and Walker Monford, I would assume, as he continues to step into a further role. So, there’s going to be a lot of moving and shaking here in the Colorado sports landscape. Buffs are on a buy and we’ll get back in action against Utah coming up. And we will have it all here for you at denver sports 1043 The Fan. So, stay locked in on your radio dial, stream us on in I mean uh on the internet at denverports.com, on our denver sports1043 The FanA app, all the written and video content at denverports.com available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. and like and subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can find more live shows like this one from the nosebleleeds with Joey Gunner where I sat in for the last three days to help co-host with him and Orange and Blue today with Andrew Mason and Cecil Lammy plus the Mile High Hoops and Hockey Podcast which are back and going in full swing. Have a great rest of your afternoon and we will catch you for a Friday edition, a preview edition at noon of the rundown. [Music] Second nature to put in the work.

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