ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Linebacker Dre Greenlaw pulled up while covering running back J.K. Dobbins in a 1-on-1 drill Thursday, then jogged off the field with the Denver Broncos’ athletic trainers and didn’t return to practice.
Coach Sean Payton said afterward that it wasn’t a recurrence of the thigh injury that sidelined Greenlaw this offseason. Payton motioned toward his own hamstring and said Greenlaw felt it tighten up.
“I think he’ll be all right,” Payton said while adding that Greenlaw was undergoing further tests.
That would be a big relief for the Broncos, who made Greenlaw the cornerstone of their offseason additions when they signed the former San Francisco 49ers star to a three-year, $31.5 million contract.
Earlier this week, Payton spoke glowingly about Greenlaw.
“He plays like Mike Tyson,” Payton said. “He’s tough. He’s physical. He’s built that way. There’s not a lot of leaky yardage. He’s a knock-back tackler. They stop where he hits them. There’s an intensity to how he plays. He’s one of those players where if you put the film on and didn’t say anything, at some point early you would ask, ‘Who is this guy?’”
Greenlaw said Payton isn’t the first one to compare him to the former heavyweight champion.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten that before for sure. I don’t know, I just like to play football and go out there, and I give it my all,” Greenlaw said Monday following Denver’s first padded practice of training camp. “You never know when it’s going to be your last chance on the field, your last chance to play, so you want to make a statement any time you can. I just love doing it and am thankful to be able to do it.”
Greenlaw played in just a couple of games last season after tearing an Achilles tendon running onto the field in the 49ers’ 25-22 loss to Kansas City in the 2024 Super Bowl. He and former 49ers star safety Talanoa Hufanga joined the Broncos in the offseason despite strong efforts by San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan and general manger John Lynch to keep them in the Bay Area.
Greenlaw said he wanted to join Denver’s stellar defense, which also added versatile defensive back Jahdae Barron in the first round of the NFL draft.
“They’ve had one of the best defenses for quite some time now. I know last year they really took that up a notch, and I just wanted to be a part of that,” Greenlaw said. “I wanted to be where I was accepted, where I was wanted and this is the right place for me.”
Middle linebacker Alex Singleton broke his left thumb on Monday and won’t be back until next week, so after Greenlaw left practice, the Broncos’ front-line inside linebackers were undrafted rookie Levelle Bailey and veteran Justin Strnad.
Greenlaw said he’s eager to play alongside Singleton when both are healthy.
“That’s what I also looked into when I came here, just to see what type of leaders are on the team,” Greenlaw said. “Alex is a vocal guy when he needs to be. He’s also a tackling machine. … He’s somebody that’s going to give it all he’s got every play. I saw that in Alex that I see in myself, so I thought this was going to be a great little duo.”
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