After dealing with a frustrating saga of recovery, the Denver Broncos are placing linebacker Dre Greenlaw on injured reserve, which means he will be out for the next four weeks.
Denver Broncos place Dre Greenlaw on injured reserve
Nobody is more frustrated about the quad injury than Dre Greenlaw. After initially suffering the injury back in April during workouts, Greenlaw went through a training and recovery plan that caused him to miss OTAs and mandatory minicamp, but he was fully ready to go for the start of training camp.
During the second week of camp, Greenlaw pulled up in a one-on-one drill with what Sean Payton deemed as a scare. Greenlaw missed a week and a half after that before returning to practice, where he was a full participant for a solid stretch of time.
Greenlaw was present for the Broncos’ bonus practice the Monday prior to the start of the regular season and was on the side field that Wednesday where he’s been ever since. He suffered a setback this week in his recovery, as Denver Post’s Luca Evans reported, which led to the team making the move.
Fans are frustrated that they haven’t seen Greenlaw’s debut yet, and that’s valid, but fans have to understand that Greenlaw isn’t just sitting on his hands waiting to suddenly feel better, he’s been working diligently to try and make his debut.
His landing on short-term IR allows him the chance to rest and rehab, which is the best course of action for him right now, considering the nature of the soft tissue injury.
It also allows the Broncos to tap into their practice squad by possibly bringing a linebacker up to the 53-man roster, which saves the team from having to use all of their elevations on a particular player.
The Greenlaw news is disappointing to hear, but he’ll be eligible to return for the Broncos’ Week 7 matchup against Russell Wilson and the New York Giants. That doesn’t mean he will make his debut then, but the hope is that he can.