Sean Payton just gave Broncos fans the update they wanted on Dre Greenlaw

The Denver Broncos were able to get a much-needed win in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans and completely dominate on defense despite missing one of their key pieces on that side of the ball.

Star linebacker and big money free agent pickup Dre Greenlaw has been dealing with injuries the past couple of years, suffering an Achilles injury in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs at the end of the 2023 season before missing all but two games in 2024 as a result. He suffered a quad injury in the early portion of the offseason for the Broncos and apparently had some sort of setback leading up to Week 1, where he was already predicted to be on a "pitch count" for snaps played.

After the team's win in Week 1, we got the most positive update we've heard on Greenlaw in quite some time as head coach Sean Payton updated his status and when we might expect to see him on the field going forward.

Dre Greenlaw expected to be back for Broncos sooner rather than later

This update, along with a post from Greenlaw himself on his Instagram page, have fueled optimism for a possible Week 2 return to the field.

The Broncos already allowed the fewest yards out of any defense in the NFL, along with giving up just 12 points despite the fact that the offense and special teams turned it over or made mind-numbing mistakes a total of seven times against the Titans. With all of those extra possessions being given to Tennessee, as well as the free points gifted to the Titans before the end of the first half by special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, it's a wonder they didn't hang up 30 points.

The Denver defense is just that good.

And Dre Greenlaw makes them even better, although we'd be remiss not to mention the outstanding performance of Justin Strnad in Week 1. Strnad had a pair of QB hits, a sack, and a tackle for loss against the Titans, proving himself as an extremely capable option out there in case the team does deal with injuries throughout the year.

Greenlaw is almost unanimously considered a top-5 player at his position, however, and brings another level of toughness to the Denver defense that could take that unit to even greater heights.

The Broncos have championship aspirations. As we saw in Week 1, the offense is very much a work in progress, but a defense like the one Denver has is able to keep this team in games and give them more margin for error. The Broncos will face off against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 and having Greenlaw out there for his debut would be a huge advantage for them.