The long journey back is finally over for Dre Greenlaw. 

The veteran inside linebacker made his Broncos debut on Sunday in a thrilling 33-32 home victory over the Giants. Greenlaw dealt with a quad injury during the spring with setbacks that held him out of six games this season. He started in Week 7 with limited snaps. 

“It’s been a tough ride. Just trying my best to get back on the field. Trying to stay healthy,” Greenlaw said in the postgame locker room inside Empower Field at Mile High. “It’s been a roller coaster ride. But I felt good about tonight. I was excited to get back. To get to be with the team and show them what I can do. It was only 20 plays, but I felt I made the most of it. I enjoyed being back.” 

Greenlaw quickly made his presence felt.  

He combined with safety Brandon Jones for the game’s first tackle and stopped Giants running back Cam Skattebo for a 4-yard gain. Greenlaw finished with six combined tackles.  

“That’s how I play the game. I love hitting people,” Greenlaw said. “I love my job. I love what I do. Football is the only place where you go out and hit people and not go to jail for it.” 

Greenlaw also logged a hit on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart that helped force an incompletion. 

“It was awesome to see Dre out there,” inside linebacker Justin Strnad said. “Dre has been an established great player in this league. He brings energy. I’ve gotten to really build a relationship with him and he’s an awesome guy.” 

Greenlaw, 28, signed with the Broncos in free agency after six years with the 49ers. His deal includes $11.5 million guaranteed in 2025 as a proven leader on defense. But most of that leadership has played out behind the scenes while he attempted to get healthy.  

It was not a linear path to being cleared to play. 

“I wasn’t expecting to have any setbacks,” Greenlaw said. “I was expecting to go out there and play as soon as I got here. Everything happened really by surprise. I think the Broncos did a great job of keep trying … and just having faith that I was going to eventually get it right.” 

Defensive lineman Malcolm Roach had a behind-the-scenes view of Greenlaw’s comeback. Both players recovered from injuries at the same time earlier this season, with Roach overcoming a calf strain. 

“Seeing the disappointment in his face when (Greenlaw) almost gets there, and then something happens. Just knowing how much of a dog he was. He gives it all,” Roach said on Sunday. “We’ve seen him in practice, so we know what we’ve got. We just had to get the world to see it. Boy, when they can take him off that play limit, it’s going to be crazy. Because he’s downhill. Like I always say, when we’re running to that ball, you’ve got to watch out for him.  

“Because he’s trying to beat me to it.” 

Greenlaw described his own performance Sunday as “solid” and mentioned adjusting to the altitude. He called the fan atmosphere “incredible” in his opening game at Empower Field. It’s just the first step.  

“We came in with a plan. We stuck with the plan. It worked out,” Greenlaw said. “Of course, you want to be out there all 50, 60 or however many snaps. But we’ve got a long season ahead of us, so there’s no need to go out there and do it all at once. … There’s going to be plenty of time for me to get on the field and make my mark.”