The Denver Broncos knew what they were getting when they signed Dre Greenlaw in NFL Free Agency this offseason, but it hasn’t been until Week 9 that they’ve been able to tangibly feel the impact he brings to the table.

After Greenlaw suffered his initial quad injury in April, its lingering presence throughout training camp and the preseason made it difficult for him to see the field.

Early on in the regular season, the Broncos were optimistic about Dre being able to go around Week 3, but the quad injury continued to linger before the team ultimately put him on injured reserve to get more rest and have more time to recover from it.

In hindsight, Broncos head coach Sean Payton said that the wait was worth it.

“He brings an element of just a toughness, a competitiveness,” Payton said. “It’s hard to put on paper. He’s extremely physical. And I think he plays with such good pad level and leverage. He’s a great tackler. It’s good to have him in the lineup. It was tough waiting in making that decision, but in hindsight, it was worth it.”

Now that Greenlaw is fully healthy, he’s being unleashed, and that was on display in Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. In one of the Texans ‘ goal-line moments offensively, Greenlaw set the tone on the one-yard line with an absolute stick on running back Woody Marks.

That pad level and leverage Payton talks about was fully on display. Textbook. Lowest man wins. Greenlaw stuck him and drove his feet for an incredible stop, and ultimately, the Broncos’ defense came up big in the red zone with two goal-line stands, maintaining their stance as the NFL’s best red zone defense.

Greenlaw played 27 defensive snaps, and his presence was felt on every single one, finishing the game with eight tackles, one sack, and one quarterback hit as he still works his way into a potential full workload.

It will be interesting to see how the Broncos approach his usage this week considering the short turnaround from Sunday’s game vs. Houston to Thursday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders, but Greenlaw vs. Ashton Jeanty in the hole makes for primetime television.