Depending on how you look at it, the Denver Broncos either made one of the best free-agent signings of the offseason or spent too much on a player with a serious injury history when they brought in Dre Greenlaw.
Truthfully, it’s probably a little of both. But the Broncos are banking on Greenlaw being healthy and coming in to be the interior linebacker that can play at an above-average level in the pass coverage department. That is something the Broncos have lacked for quite some time.
Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus recognizes the impact that Greenlaw could have this season. In naming a ‘make or break’ player for every team in the league, he selected Greenlaw for the Broncos.
Denver’s linebackers were the Achilles’ heel of the team’s defense last season, particularly in coverage. That unit ranked 28th among all linebacker groups in PFF coverage grade. Former 49er Dre Greenlaw was brought in to fix that exact problem.
Greenlaw’s 90.0 PFF coverage grade since 2019 trails only Fred Warner, Lavonte David and Demario Davis for the highest mark among qualified linebackers. The Broncos are betting heavily on the idea that Greenlaw can regain that level of production, even though he played just 34 snaps last season after coming off a torn Achilles”, wrote Wasserman.
Wasserman notes the ability that Greenlaw has in the passing game, and that is where he could be a major difference maker. The Broncos will also get Alex Singleton back, who missed most of last season after tearing his ACL, and that will improve the linebacking corps as well.
Greenlaw has been one of the better inside linebackers in the league since coming in as a fifth-round pick in 2019. He has dealt with injuries in his career, but it’s unfair to label him “injury prone”. If he can stay on the field this season, the Broncos will have one of the better free-agent signings of the entire season.
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