DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos activated prized free agent acquisition Dre Greenlaw from injured reserve on Saturday ahead of their Sunday game against the New York Giants.
Greenlaw has been sidelined since the summer with a quadriceps injury he first incurred during the team’s offseason program. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said Thursday that Greenlaw would be on a pitch count whenever he returned to the lineup.
The Broncos (4-2) are seeking their fourth consecutive victory when they host the resurgent Giants (2-4) Sunday at Empower Field. The team will also honor the late Demaryius Thomas, who was the 38th member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.
To make room on the roster, the Broncos released quarterback Sam Ehlinger, whom they signed back to their practice squad on Saturday. In other moves, Denver released defensive back A.J. Woods and wide receiver Thayer Thomas (injury settlement) from their practice squad.
Greenlaw signed a three-year, $31.5 million contract with the Broncos this spring after six seasons in San Francisco. He returned to practice this week and was limited on Wednesday and Thursday before participating fully on Friday, signaling his readiness to come off injured reserve.
As usual with injury updates, coach Sean Payton remained coy when asked about Greenlaw’s status on Friday, refusing to confirm if he was a full participant before the practice report was released. When pressed if Greenlaw had a good week of practice, Payton said, “Yes, positive. He was able to go and move around, so yes.”
The Broncos noted that inside linebacker Justin Strnad, who leads all NFL inside linebackers with 2.5 sacks, has earned playing time even with Greenlaw’s return to the lineup.
Denver’s defense, which just limited Justin Fields to minus-10 net passing yards in a 13-11 victory over the New York Jets in London, is expected to step up a notch with Greenlaw healthy.
“Dre looked good out there,” star cornerback Patrick Surtain said after Greenlaw returned to practice Wednesday. “It seems like he’s very sharp out there on everything, on the game plan, so I’m very excited for him.”
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