New Denver Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw’s freshly minted three-year, $35 million contract roughly equates to about one million dollars for every snap he played last season. That being said, had Greenlaw not so bizarrely snapped his Achilles during Super Bowl LVIII, the chances are that everyone would be singing a different tune, and Kyle Shanahan might have a ring.
NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal is very high on the “electric” Greenlaw addition, and the Broncos making a splash to add some needed thump in the middle of the defense.
“I love this move,” Rosenthal told The Insiders Show. “Greenlaw, first of all, he put only three quarters on film last year. They were three of the most electric quarters I’ve seen from a linebacker in a long time. That made me think, ‘Okay, he’s going to recover well.’ You look at what the Broncos did this day—adding two former 49ers in [Talanoa] Hufunga and Greenlaw. It’s going to totally change the aggression of a defense that already has a great attitude and is terrific. So they’re one of the best defenses in the league.”
Taking a risk on players with substantial injury histories is a bit scary, judging by Broncos general manager George Paton’s initial strategy during legal tampering. That has crystallized fully with the Broncos swinging for the fences with both Greenlaw and the often sidelined safety Talanoa Hufanga, who also landed in Denver via the San Francisco 49ers for big money on Monday.
As the vultures have descended upon the carcass of the Niners roster, the addition of Greenlaw and Hufanga provides the Broncos with a steel-infused spine through the center of an already stout defense that increasingly got exposed down the stretch in 2024.
Against the Buffalo Bills in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs, the Broncos were exposed to the power running game. Undoubtedly, shoring up the cracks has necessitated the opening up of the checkbook at Broncos HQ to find immediate remedies this offseason.
In truth, the defected Cody Barton nor the returning special teams ace Justin Strnad couldn’t provide the dynamic, game-changing ability needed at linebacker. In terms of providing some real impact in both run and pass defense, Greenlaw has already proven he’s elite.
When Greenlaw has been fit and available, his unquestioned ability to cover tight ends and attack in run defense should provide a huge upgrade for the Broncos’ 2025 defense.
In San Francisco, Greenlaw amassed 455 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions, and had 14 passes defensed since he entered the league back in 2019. Now that he’s in place, Broncos head coach Sean Payton is putting a lot of faith in what his training staff can do to keep Greenlaw and Hufanga on the field.
Lest we forget, the Broncos’ trainers will also be tasked with getting returning Alex Singleton back up to speed after his Week 3 ACL tear. Singleton will be paired inside with Greenlaw moving forward, but at least the Broncos’ tackling machine is back to running at full speed again.
Making two key moves to bolster the defense was hardly unexpected, especially with the road map for the upcoming draft generally pointing toward the Broncos addressing their multitude of needs on offense.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will be licking his chops the most because he will be marshaling a unit that has the potential to be truly dominant if the new pieces can all stay healthy.
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