The Denver Broncos will have a pair of new defenders on the defense in 2025 and beyond. Let's get to know Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga. The former San Francisco 49ers defenders will each head to the Denver Broncos on three-year contracts.
With the new league year officially beginning on Wednesday, these deals can now be signed. The Broncos clearly had a plan of attack in free agency, and there are still a ton of players on the market who could come in and help the team.
Greenlaw and Hufanga are likely going to be the biggest additions, and they enter into a situation where the team's defense was a top-5 unit in 2024. The Broncos also re-signed DJ Jones, so on paper, it's hard to identify a true weakness with this unit.
Let's get to know Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga a bit more.
Get to know Dre Greenlaw...
Dre Greenlaw turns 28 years old in May and was the 49ers 148th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has played in 64 career regular season games, starting 56 of them. He only suited up in three games in 2021 and two games in 2024 and has played just one full season, so there is an injury concern here.
However, the Broncos training staff is probably plenty good enough to keep Greenlaw on the field. Across his NFL career in the regular season, he's got three interceptions, 14 passes defended, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 3.5 sacks, 455 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and nine QB hits.
He averages 121 tackles and five tackles for loss per 17-game season. What Dre Greenlaw truly brings to a defense is a nasty edge and a punishing attitude. He's a true culture-setter in the middle of the defense and is simply going to make the players around him better.
He is respectable in coverage, allowing a passer rating of 91 across his NFL career.
Get to know Talanoa Hufanga...
Talanoa Hufanga recently turned 26 years old and was the 49ers 180th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro Honors in 2022 at the safety position, racking up 97 total tackles, five tackles for loss, three QB hits, two sacks, four interceptions, and nine passes defended.
Hufanga is another player, like Greenlaw, who plays with a nasty edge and is going to simply find his way to the football. He's played in just 17 regular season games over the last two seasons, so there is an injury concern with him as well. He averages two interceptions, five passes defended, and 76 total tackles across a full 17-game season.
This is easier said than done, but if both players can stay on the field consistently, they are among the best at what they do in the NFL. These signings could be massive for the Denver Broncos and could truly take their defense to the next level.