Dre Greenlaw returned to practice for the Denver Broncos on Wednesday, and it's the first time since being put on IR with a quad injury that has lingered for what seems like months now. Greenlaw was one of the few big-time free agency additions for the Broncos.
Denver also signed Evan Engram, JK Dobbins, and Talanoa Hufanga. All three have been able to stay on the field pretty consistently, so the hope here is Greenlaw can do the same beginning in Week 7 and for the rest of the season.
However, it's not clear at the moment if Greenlaw even will play, and if he does, how much he'll see the field. Let's assume that the Broncos do activate Greenlaw off injured reserve and that he ends up being inserted into the starting lineup. What should the team's starting defense look like?
The Denver Broncos' starting defense with Dre Greenlaw in the picture is obvious
Defensive Line: Zach Allen, DJ Jones, John Franklin-Myers
The best defensive line in the NFL plays on the Denver Broncos. Both Zach Allen and DJ Jones recently got new deals from the Broncos, but John Franklin-Myers is a free agent in 2026.
Outside Linebackers: Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper
Nik Bonitto is absolutely the favorite for the Defensive Player of the Year award through the first six weeks of the 2025 NFL Season. Jonathon Cooper is a very good player in his own right, and this duo actually won the AFC Defensive Player of the Week in back to back weeks, which is neat.
Inside Linebackers: Dre Greenlaw, Justin Strnad
This is where things could get a bit fun. Justin Strnad has frankly been quite good for the Denver Broncos since being thrust into the lineup frequently when Alex Singleton tore his ACL back in 2024. Strnad can get into the backfield with ease and might benefit from playing with a high-end linebacker like Dre Greenlaw.
To me, it's quite obvious that the Broncos have to deploy this tandem when Greenlaw returns to the lineup.
Secondary: Patrick Surtain II, Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Riley Moss
The secondary is unsurprisingly having a strong year for the Denver Broncos thus far, as Talanoa Hufanga as really helped propel this unit to the top. He had a huge game in Week 6 and a key pass deflection against Garrett Wilson late in the fourth quarter as well.
When Greenlaw returns to the lineup, this is how the Broncos' defense should look.