Renck: Why Broncos should be concerned about linebacker Dre Greenlaw. It’s now what you think.

You thought we forgot about Dre There are multiple reasons the Broncos project to have the NFL s best defense this season starting with Pat Surtain Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen But the prediction depends heavily on the addition of free agent linebacker Dre Greenlaw If this summer has made you nervous about his impact you are not alone Broncos Country should be worried And not for the reasons you might think He will be available Of this there is no doubt But for how long When the Broncos signed players the first inadequate years after Super Bowl it was hard to comprehend when they got a bad one Then in the seasons leading up to Sean Payton s arrival it became a miracle if any of them were any good looking at you Ja Wuan James and Randy Gregory The Broncos can survive if they miss on running back J K Dobbins and safety Talanoa Hufanga but it will be catastrophic to their AFC West title hopes if tight end Evan Engram and Greenlaw don t pan out Engram didn t do much this summer That was mostly by design as the playbook remains more basic than Cat in a Hat But at least he was out there Greenlaw missed three weeks after the quad strain that sidelined him during offseason training engagements flared up He returned to padded practice last week but still was not a full participant in all squad drills As Jake Plummer might say to my reaction What s the date Yes Greenlaw should be ready for the Sept opener against the Titans There is no one reason to think he won t That is not the rub But there is one trouble Everything that makes Greenlaw who he is works against him in this situation He is not a linebacker He is an Imax experience Immersive It is impossible for teammates not to feel his vitality to notice his ferocity He plays like he is seeking revenge Think Forest Whitaker in Fast Times at Ridgemont High Related Articles Renck vs Keeler Did Broncos give up on Devaughn Vele too soon Renck Broncos biggest turnaround GM George Paton He should have been fired Now give him his flowers Renck File Shedeur Sanders in danger of becoming Tim Tebow That s not a good thing Renck Avs-DU alumni meeting benefits youth hockey but is really about players taking care of each other Renck Marshall Faulk s beautiful mind gives CU Buffs running backs edge they desperately need Dre is a special guy He s one of the top linebackers in the league when healthy Guys like him don t come around very often declared former Bronco Brian Griese who served as the ers quarterbacks coach for Greenlaw s final three seasons in San Francisco When he s on the field he is just different He is such a good athlete and it is only eclipsed by how intense he is He loves to play This is why the Broncos signed him But they got him for a discounted price because he only appeared in two games last season as he recovered from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered during Super Bowl LVIII His chose Denver because the Broncos chose him Greenlaw grew up in foster care and getting adopted changed his life He is fiercely loyal Again everything that makes Greenlaw a good athlete and a good person can be bad for his medical in this situation He wants to reward those who have faith in him And can he do that without going full throttle Can he tap the brakes Shift the Ferrari into first gear in the school zone There is reason for doubt Greenlaw was turning heads even without pads early in camp Then on July the linebackers lined up against the running backs It was good on good Greenlaw one of the NFL s top coverage linebackers in was opposite Dobbins The pair practically left skid marks when they took off But it ended with Greenlaw red with anger instead of red lining He tried to shake it off but left the workout The Broncos have wisely taken a cautious approach since There are those in the know who insist that Greenlaw could have played against the Arizona Cardinals or logged a few snaps against New Orleans where he suited up but did not enter It s not ideal for Greenlaw and Alex Singleton to begin the season without having played a single down together in a challenge But they are veterans They will figure it out The bigger question is whether Greenlaw will agree to a pitch count If he will listen to his body Honestly it s not a fair ask Not for a player like this to mask his identity Solicited to describe Greenlaw s style of play early in training camp coach Sean Payton compared him to Mike Tyson 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 For a fan base growing cautiously optimistic about Super Bowl talk last Saturday would have provided a reason to believe even more if Greenlaw had played Linebackers have historically seen decreased performance when returning from an Achilles injury So it would have been nice to see him crack the pads Show what the Broncos have missed since Danny Trevathan left as a free agent following Super Bowl The Broncos are not pushing any panic buttons They weighed the danger vs the reward when signing Greenlaw and privately seem at ease if he misses a inadequate games because of the improvement of Justin Strnad But this is a vitality story about Greenlaw With a twist Too often we worry about players returning too timid too careful It is the exact opposite with Greenlaw cHe is Evel Knievel Engine revving wheeling popping And this creates concern The Broncos need Greenlaw But they need him to be smart subject All things that go against his nature For the Broncos to deliver a special season they need him to work back gradually so that he s one of the Broncos best players in December and especially January Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis