Broncos training camp report: Sean Payton gushes LB Dre Greenlaw ‘plays like Mike Tyson’

The good news on Sanders, at least as head coach Sean Payton called it, is that he tore a ligament in his foot at Saturday’s practice, not a tendon as previously reported. As Payton explained it, ligament repair is much easier than tendon repair, and Sanders is evaluating whether he’ll need surgery.

The downside: Sanders will still be out “north of” four to six weeks, Payton said. The other downside: Singleton broke his thumb Monday. The starting ILB will be back next week, but it’ll leave plenty of reps for young depth the next few days.

Newcomer impact

Call him the Iron Law.

A couple of days after Payton labeled free-agent signee Dre Greenlaw as a breed of player who “express themselves in the full gear,” Broncos Country got its first look at the hulking linebacker in full pads. He’s been on a pitch count throughout offseason rehab, and Greenlaw was seen breathing hard after a few 7-on-7 reps. But he also knocked chests with fullback Michael Burton — in a walkthrough.

The 49er-turned-Bronco plays linebacker in a way that one “can’t help but notice it on film,” Payton said. And the sideline-to-sideline aggressiveness showed up on grass.

“He plays like Mike Tyson,” Payton said. “He’s tough, he’s physical, he’s built that way. There’s not a lot of leaky yardage. Some guys, he’s a knock-back tackler. They stop where he hits them.”

Greenlaw is an important upgrade for Denver and widely viewed as one of the better weak-side linebackers in the league despite an Achilles tear that knocked him out for most of 2024. Enough of an upgrade to prompt Payton to fist-pump in his car — as he told reporters — when the Broncos held off San Francisco to ink him in free agency.

Once a kid caught in the foster system and eventually adopted by his high school defensive coordinator, loyalty has always run at the linebacker’s core. And Greenlaw told reporters Monday that Payton and the Broncos’ conviction sold him on heading east.

“Throughout the whole time I was talking to Sean, it was never no ‘ifs, ands, buts, maybe,’ this and that,” Greenlaw said. “It was like, ‘Man, we want you to be here.’

“… It’s not a lot of times that people just wanted me, you know what I’m saying?” he continued. “So, it just made me feel special.”

Top Plays

Harvey lights the burners: On a run-heavy first day of pads, Broncos’ second-round rookie running back RJ Harvey drew the most eyeballs. A few reps into the first 11-on-11 period, the UCF product took a handoff and exploded gap-to-gap for a nasty jump-cut, showcasing the kind of quick feet that have Payton and company so high on him.

Thumbs Up

Not in Jacksonville anymore: A few months into his time in Denver, new tight end Evan Engram gave a sermon on how much he’s enjoyed the locker-room culture in Denver. He might’ve taken a bit of a potshot at Jacksonville, too, after his previous employer went 4-13 in 2024.

“I tell people, all my family, like, it’s hard to be the first one in the building,” Engram said. “Used to be the first one in Jacksonville, I was always the first one … here, it’s kinda tough.”

Not that tough, evidently. Engram has been the first Bronco out on the grass each of Denver’s last two days of training camp. And he’s continued to ramp up action as the pads have come on, showcasing soft hands and catching one pretty play-action deep throw from a rolling Bo Nix.

Thumbs Down

Not much time for Estime: A fairly clear hierarchy has emerged early in camp with the Broncos’ running backs. Free-agent signee J.K. Dobbins and Harvey have taken a lion’s share of 11-on-11 reps, with the rest split between a quad unit of Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie, Blake Watson and Audric Estime. It’s a tough spot for Estime, in particular, as the second-year back desperately needs an impressive camp to reaffirm his place in Denver’s backfield. He’s come in looking like a tank with muscles and caught a nice dump-off in team action Monday, but he hasn’t popped much on his carries.

Odds and Ends

• After missing a couple of days for unknown reasons, Nix’s blind-side guardian Mike McGlinchey was back at practice in full pads Monday. A good sign, as the Broncos continue to build upon a well-established rapport on their starting front. In his brief absence, third-year tackle Alex Palczewski continued to build goodwill after he had three spot starts in 2024.

• Rookie tight end Caleb Lohner saw heavy action throughout 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 team work Monday, showcasing secure hands on a couple of grabs. Jimmy Graham dreams are a way off: Lohner’s simply trying to crack Denver’s roster. He’s looked plenty solid so far for a guy who’s caught a total of four passes since eighth-grade football.

• Malcolm Roach, ever the 290-pound Energizer Bunny, bellowed some encouraging words at undrafted linebacker Karene Reid during one team period. Denver’s ILB corps has been temporarily thinned by injuries to Singleton and Sanders, meaning Reid will get the reps to continue impressing.