Newly acquired linebacker Dre Greenlaw may be facing more pressure from anyone on the Denver Broncos not named Bo Nix. Pressure is negatively obtained at times, but in cases like Dre Greenlaw's it is more a case of such high hopes and dreams Greenlaw finds himself looking in the face of expectations, battling the highest.
As a unit last year, the Denver Broncos defense was good, but not all-time great. They led the league in sacks last season with 63 but continued to have some struggles between the hashes. Cody Barton also left the Denver Broncos in free agency for the Tennessee Titans. Barton finished the season with 106 total tackles, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Barton played a large role in the Denver Broncos' success on defense last year, but sparked some imagination on what the Broncos' defense could be with a top-tier linebacker. Dre Greenlaw will be pairing with Alex Singleton, who also missed the entire 2024 season, which does not help Greenlaw with the amount of pressure he will be under to be on the field.
Dre Greenlaw is under a mountain of pressure in 2025
Availability is where the majority of pressure for Greenlaw is centered around. Not many pundits are concerned with Greenlaw's abilities post-injury, it is him remaining an option on game day. Greenlaw's injury resulted in him basically missing the entire 2024 season.
Fast forward to 2025, Greenlaw has had some soft tissue issues with his hamstring after pulling up during a one-on-one drill with other free agent addition, J.K. Dobbins. Soft tissues injuries are a pain, and can become a reoccuring pain throughout the season. When you consider the force that an explosive player like Dre Greenlaw plays with, it rises the cause for concern.
With all of the concern, behind it hides the potential of an absolute menace on the football field joining an already stellar group. Greenlaw has the ability to take over games with a constant motor, and to pair that with his athletic abilities makes Greenlaw an absolute force. Dre Greenlaw, when on the field, is the sideline-to-sideline linebacker that gives offensive coordinators nightmares.
What Dre Greenlaw brings to the football field isn't something that is coachable; players either have it or they don't. Dre Greenlaw has the menacing mindset and ability that being a great linebacker requires.
Only downfall to how good Dre Greenlaw is and can be, is not having him once you see what he can do for a defense. Once everyone sees how great the Denver Broncos' defense can be with Dre Greenlaw, the demand for his services will become outstanding.