Broncos ILB Dre Greenlaw Suffers Worrisome Injury vs. Jags

Greenlaw was hurt late in Sunday's loss to Jacksonville.

Sep 21, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw (57) on the sidelines prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Adding injury to the insult that was Sunday's 34-20 loss to Jacksonville, Denver Broncos inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw suffered a hamstring injury and was ruled out for the final moments of the game.

Head coach Sean Payton did not provide an immediate update on Greenlaw's status during his postgame press conference.

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The injury is especially worrisome as Greenlaw, who made three tackles prior to going down, already missed eight games this season with a lingering quadriceps issue. He also recovered from a 2024 Achilles tendon tear before joining Denver this offseason on a three-year, $35 million contract.

The former 49ers standout has notched 43 combined stops (15 solo), two quarterback hits, two pass deflections, one sack, and an interception across eight appearances for the Broncos, sidelined for the club's Week 8 victory over the Cowboys due to suspension.

“It’s been remarkable," Payton said in November of Greenlaw's defensive impact. "That goal-line stand a week or two ago. He’s a physical, physical tackler, and he has that ‘it’. I’m glad he’s on our team.”

A potential Greenlaw absence could complicate things for the Broncos, whose backup ILB, Justin Strnad, was inactive for the Jaguars game due to an ankle injury. The next man up on the depth chart is undrafted rookie Jordan Turner.

The Broncos face a quick turnaround for next Thursday's contest at Kansas City, further complicating Greenlaw's availability.

Nov 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw (57) reacts after a play during the first half against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sean Thomas-Imagn Images | Sean Thomas-Imagn Images

Bryant Has Movement in Extremities

Although mum on Greenlaw, Payton did offer an update of sorts on rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant, who took a scary hit while going up for a pass in the final seconds of the game and was stretchered off the field. Bryant, fortunately, has movement in his extremities as Denver awaits further testing.

“He has movement that’s encouraging," Payton told reporters. "I’ll get an update here probably in the next 15 minutes, but he was moving his hands and his legs. As we know more, we will let you know.”

Bryant finished with the second-most targets (8) and receptions (five) among all Broncos pass-catchers versus Jacksonville.

“You never want to see somebody in that situation, and I feel responsible because I threw it," quarterback Bo Nix said. "You can say it’s part of the game, but you just never want to see it and you really pray he [WR Pat Bryant] is OK, he can be back out there as soon as he can. But yes, it’s just one of those things that you wish you could avoid. That was a tough situation.”