Broncos’ secret weapon may be ready just in time for Giants showdown

After racking up nine sacks and limiting the New York Jets to -10 net passing yards, it's hard to believe the Denver Broncos' defense could actually get better, but that is absolutely the case.

Not only were the Broncos missing Jonah Elliss in their win against the Jets, but they also haven't had star linebacker and big-money free agent Dre Greenlaw all season. That could change in Week 7 against the New York Giants, because Greenlaw is finally eligible to come off of injured reserve.

The veteran linebacker has been dealing with a quad injury dating back to the Spring, something he aggravated late in the offseason, and could be poised to make his Denver Broncos debut.

Dre Greenlaw could make Broncos debut in Week 7 against the Giants

The Broncos haven't been home for the better part of the last two weeks. The team took off for Philadelphia on October 3, and actually flew directly from Philadelphia to London for their game against the Jets.

Greenlaw was present for the entire road trip.

One would think, if Greenlaw was still in the rehabilitation process, he would be doing that work back at the team facility in Denver. If you'll permit me to do a little bit of tinfoil hat theorizing for a moment, it seems reasonable to believe the Broncos have been having Greenlaw do work after the media's viewing portion of practice.

They would obviously want to conceal what they're doing with Greenlaw for competitive purposes, but also to protect him from the pressure to return. They want him 100 percent when he comes back, and if they rushed him back before, they don't want to make that same mistake again.

Greenlaw signed a very team-friendly deal to join the Broncos this offseason, despite being recruited heavily to come back to the 49ers. He wanted to be in Denver, and now, we might finally get the chance to see him make his debut -- regular season or preseason -- in orange and blue.

And it would be in front of the home crowd on top of it all.

It has to be noted that just because Greenlaw is eligible to come off of IR this week doesn't mean he absolutely will. The Broncos could open his 21-day practice window, and ease him back into action, or they could keep him on IR until he's 100 percent ready to practice.

Being 100 percent ready is the key here. It's way too easy for NFL players to aggravate hamstring or quad injuries, especially since they are making explosive movements every single rep. Someone like Greenlaw needs to be brought along with caution, but he's got to be itching to get on the field at this point.

Whenever he does arrive, he's going to add a dynamic to Denver's defense that the team simply hasn't had since the likes of Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall were around.

A defense that just dominated in Week 6 might get even better with a rookie quarterback coming to Denver in Week 7.