That sound you hear is a sigh of relief being exhaled in the Mile High City.
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton told reporters that starting inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw is expected to be "fine" after leaving Thursday's training camp practice with a lower-body injury — unrelated to the quad issue he suffered earlier this offseason.
"I think he's fine," Payton said. "In the one-on-one period, he felt it got tight. Different area. We'll know more; we'll have all the precautionary work done. But I think he'll be alright."
According to multiple reports, Greenlaw pulled up lame in a pass-coverage drill against Broncos running back JK Dobbins. He tried to walk off the discomfort but eventually jogged back to the locker room, flanked by the team's medical staff.
Greenlaw has a lengthy injury history dating back to his time with the San Francisco 49ers — from groin strains, hamstring pulls, and a torn Achilles' tendon. The 28-year-old has not played a full NFL regular season since his 2019 rookie campaign.
Greenlaw signed a three-year, $31.5 million contract with the Broncos at the start of free agency in March. Soon after, he sustained a quadriceps malady that shelved him until the beginning of training camp.
"He’s another one of those guys that’s on a pitch count. We’re being smart," Payton said on July 26. "He’s impressive when you put the tape on. Monday will come with the pads and there are certain players that really express themselves in the full gear, and he’ll be one of them.”
Greenlaw is the third Broncos ILB to pick up an injury since camp opened, joining fellow starter Alex Singleton and primary reserve Drew Sanders. Singleton (thumb) will only miss a few more days of action while Sanders (foot) is likely to be sidelined "north of 4-6 weeks," per Payton.
With the top three ailing at the position, the Broncos will temporarily elevate Levelle Bailey and Justin Strnad to the first-string unit. Bailey, a second-year undrafted free agent, has been among the early standouts of the summer.
“He’s had a few good days. Real good days," Payton said Tuesday. "I think you’re getting a player into his second year with confidence. He’s in good shape. He looks like an NFL linebacker too. It’s funny because I can recall these stories of post-draft conversations and like an hour recruitment of him. You’ll have that happen with a number of players, and then a couple might go somewhere else. Then you’re pulling out all stops, and I’m glad we stayed patient in that process with him and we were able to get him because there were a number of teams interested. I would say I’ve clearly seen a jump from Year 1 to Year 2 in his confidence.”
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