Certain players stand out when the pads come on during training camp. New Denver Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw is certainly one of those studs.
Coach Sean Payton noted Monday that Greenlaw makes his presence felt at camp: "You can hear it."
"He plays like Mike Tyson," Payton said, via the team’s official website. "He's tough, he's physical. He's built that way. There's not a lot of leaky yardage. Some guys [allow that]. He's a knock-back tackler. They stop where he hits them. There's an intensity to how he plays. He's one of those players that if you put the film on and didn't say anything, at some point early, you'd ask, 'Who is this guy?' "
The physicality that Greenlaw brings to the Broncos defense could take Vance Joseph's already stingy unit to the next level. A sideline-to-sideline tackling maven, the linebacker should shore up the middle of the Denver defense behind Zach Allen and Co.
After missing all but two games last season due to an Achilles tear suffered in Super Bowl LVIII, Greenlaw signed a three-year, $31.5 million contract in Denver this offseason. All indicators are that he's back to form early in camp.
"I just like to play football," Greenlaw said. "I just go out there and give it my all. You never know when it's going to be your last chance on the field, last chance to play. You want to make a strong statement any time you can. I just love doing it and [I'm] thankful to be able to do it."
The biggest question in Denver this season will be health. If everyone, including new additions Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga, stays on the field, it's easily a top-five unit in the NFL.
