ILB Dre Greenlaw Pops Up on Broncos' Week 1 Injury Report

Head coach Sean Payton declined to address Greenlaw's status.

Jul 24, 2025; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw (57) during Denver Broncos Training Camp. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The good news is that only two players were listed as DNP (Did Not Practice) on the inaugural 2025 regular-season injury report, released Wednesday.

The bad news is that one of those players is starting inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who remains sidelined with what the team is calling a quad issue.

The curious news is that Broncos head coach Sean Payton declined to address Greenlaw's status for Week 1.

"At this point forward, I'm not going to talk one thing about player injuries," Payton told reporters. "We'll report what we're required to report, but you'll never hear me talk about how I feel it's going or any of that. And, really, there's no advantage for me to discuss it."

Greenlaw and tight end/fullback Nate Adkins (ankle) were the lone Broncos to miss Wednesday's practice. Three others — outside linebacker Nik Bonitto (foot), wide receiver Marvin Mims (thigh), and ILB Alex Singleton (thumb) — were marked as full participants.

Wednesday's #TENvsDEN injury report:

📰 » https://t.co/HteipJWHTX pic.twitter.com/JJ4EHvWfMF

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 3, 2025

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Signed to a three-year, $35 million contract in free agency, Greenlaw injured his quad while training earlier this year and has been nagged by it since. The former 49ers standout, who returned from an Achilles tendon tear in 2024, was purposely mothballed for much of the offseason, extending through training camp and into the preseason.

Payton admitted Monday that Denver would take a "smart" but "conservative" approach to Greenlaw's preparation for the season.

“He hadn’t played in the preseason, but he’s gotten a lot of work," Payton said. "We are being smart. We’re being conservative relative to the approach. It’s a long season. So most importantly, having him not only healthy early on, but for the long haul is the goal. [Vice President of Player Health & Performance] Beau [Lowery] and his staff do a great job of that, better than anyone in the league. With each player, you have to treat them accordingly relative to the injuries, the injury history, the position they play. And yes, is there always risk when you’re lining up out there playing a position like that? There certainly is, but he’s very much in tuned to what we’re doing.”

January 20, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw (57) celebrates after defeating the Green Bay Packers in a 2024 NFC divisional round game at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

While it's certainly not ideal that Greenlaw is still hampered, the Broncos are set to practice again Thursday and Friday before issuing their final status report. Getting in at least limited sessions will give him a solid chance of playing (if perhaps sparingly) against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

If he's ruled out or declared inactive, Denver would likely turn to veteran ILB Justin Strnad to start opposite Singleton.