Latest news with #DreGreenlaw
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sean Payton: Dre Greenlaw plays like Mike Tyson
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw made the most of the first day in pads at Broncos training camp. Greenlaw filled gaps and delivered hits throughout team drills in Denver and head coach Sean Payton said you didn't even have to be watching to know that Greenlaw was the one landing blows. Payton said "you can hear it" when Greenlaw makes a hit and then went on to compare his style to another knockout artist from a different sport. "He plays like Mike Tyson," Payton said, via the team's 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?'" Greenlaw was limited to two games for the 49ers last year because of injuries and a quad injury interrupted his first offseason in Denver, so one key for the Broncos will be making sure Greenlaw's healthy enough to deploy that physicality on a regular basis. If he is, facing an already tough Broncos defense will be even less enjoyable for opposing offenses in 2025.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Broncos defense 'can be as good as we want to be,' but climb requires patience
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Dre Greenlaw was put on a pitch count as the Denver Broncos began their first week of training camp, so he came with all fastballs. During a team period in the red zone on Saturday, Denver's newest linebacker bolted from his spot on the far side of the field to make a beeline toward Marvin Mims Jr., who had caught a short pass and was momentarily pausing to set up his blocks near the goal line. Before Mims fully accelerated, Greenlaw tagged him down in the two-hand drill, and the linebacker moved so fast that his momentum brought both players to the ground. Advertisement The play was followed by a standard command from coaches during non-contact periods ('Stay up! Stay up!'). But internally, there was an acknowledgement that Greenlaw knows only one way to play — and it's the reason the Broncos pursued him so heavily in free agency. Just wait, Sean Payton said afterward, until real football begins. 'He's impressive when you put the tape on,' the Broncos coach said of Greenlaw, who the Broncos are bringing along slowly after the linebacker dealt with an offseason quad injury. 'Monday will come with the pads and there are certain players that really express themselves in the full gear, and he'll be one of them.' The brief scene with Greenlaw in Saturday's practice can be viewed as a microcosm of a Denver defense that played with an explosive edge during the first week of training camp. The new inside linebacker gives the Broncos an aggressive, sideline-to-sideline presence they didn't have last season. Talanoa Hufanga, Greenlaw's teammate then with the 49ers and now with the Broncos, has brought a similar torpedo play style to the safety position, where Denver is also benefiting from the return of a healthier P.J. Locke after offseason spinal surgery. In front of both players is a confident, trash-talking defensive front that was relentless in its pursuit of the quarterback last season — a franchise-record 63 sacks — and appears to be picking up where it left off after returning nearly every player who contributed to that league-high total. The pressure during team periods during the first week of camp, whether it was coming inside or on the edge, was nearly constant. 'You've got to know what other guys are thinking, what other guys are feeling on certain plays or on certain calls and knowing each other's jobs,' veteran outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper said. 'Those conversations don't stop whether we're on the field or whether we're off the field. We're constantly talking about football and constantly building a better connection with each other so that we can go out there and perform the way that we're supposed to.' The attacking front is buoyed by a secondary that added Hufanga and drafted Jahdae Barron in the first round, a versatile defensive back who has already trained at multiple spots this offseason but is likely to start out manning the nickel position, where the Broncos already have a capable presence in Ja'Quan McMillian. Barron is flanked by Pat Surtain II, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and Riley Moss on the outside, the latter of whom was one of the early standouts during the opening week of camp as he enters his second season as a starter. Advertisement 'Look, he's sticky,' Payton said of Moss. 'Obviously, he's going to get a lot of traffic and a lot of balls thrown his way. I like his length and his ability to mirror and shadow. He's a good tackler and he does a lot of things well. He's come back in really good shape, and I think we saw it in training camp last year.' The tantalizing potential of Denver's defense doesn't only reside among its front-line starters. Dondrea Tillman, the outside linebacker who had five sacks during his first NFL season in 2024, has been a menace in training camp so far, collecting would-be sacks in every practice. Inside linebacker Levelle Bailey has shown impressive chops in coverage, intercepting one pass and deflecting at least two others, an encouraging development given that Denver is set to face an extended period without fellow reserve Drew Sanders due to a foot injury. Rookie defensive end Sai'vion Jones has been a consistent presence in the backfield, a long and rangy lineman with the tools to make an early impact against the run. Kris Abrams-Draine, the second-year cornerback who was pressed into action late last season and had an interception against Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16, splashed with multiple deflected passes during Saturday's red-zone period. 'I have never been a part of a team that had this much depth,' safety Brandon Jones said. 'It's really exciting and kind of scary to see that with the twos, the threes and the fours, there's no drop-off. People go in and everybody is executing at a high level, playing full speed, so it's super exciting.' The ingredients for an elite defense have been plain to see early in camp. But for all the excitement that exists within that unit regarding the levels it can reach in 2025 — 'We're going to be as good as we want to be,' Jones said — there is also a recognition that the process to achieve lofty goals requires patience. Linebacker Alex Singleton has had to exercise patience ever since tearing his ACL in Week 3 last season. When he began running full speed for the first time in February, he could start to envision himself back on the field. When the Broncos signed Greenlaw one week later, eliciting a 'Hell yeah!' reaction from Singleton, the veteran started to imagine what the two could do as a wrecking-ball inside tandem. Singleton had targeted his return to the field for the start of training camp for months, so it's telling that he was thinking about the long game as he took a seat on a bench after the first full practice of camp. Advertisement 'It has to be a marathon thought,' he said. 'These early days are almost hard because you want to scheme against each other. The offense is going to want to run a play and we're going to want to change a call, little things that don't matter right now. It's four installs (during the first week of camp) and then we'll repeat them next week. So it's the marathon mentality and we're not even at the first quarter mile. It's really just getting these fundamentals correct because those are hard to fix in Week 6 or 7 and their easy to fix right now. If we can have two-, three-, four-deep of guys who can step in and play — we have guys right now with the twos and threes who would be starters all over this league. We have so many guys who are learning and doing things the right way and that's exciting. We have to enjoy the process, enjoy these long days and just get to know each other.' Pat Surtain II, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, on expectations for this season: — Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) July 22, 2025 Further mileposts in training camp provide an opportunity for the Broncos to test graduate-level concepts in Vance Joseph's defense. Of the 11 projected starters, nine have played in Joseph's scheme for at least two seasons. It's a rare continuity that gives the Broncos a shorthand as they adjust calls and make changes on the fly. But none of that means the Broncos can take the next step of their defensive evolution for granted, the veteran coordinator cautioned. The practice standard must match the elite expectations the unit strives for. It's why Joseph can be heard bellowing 'Finish!' during nearly every practice rep at camp. It's why Cooper has been shouting 'Don't be satisfied,' even when he exits the field after creating pressure that spoiled an offensive play. 'My entire sell this offseason has been, 'Let's start over again. Let's keep improving,'' Joseph said. 'Last year counts, but it doesn't matter moving forward. We have to continue to improve. When you watch our cut-ups from the fall, it wasn't perfect in every area. Third down, we have to get better. There is lots of room for improvement and every year is different.'
NBC Sports
5 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Nick Bosa: I definitely think this group can win a Super Bowl
The 49ers host Super Bowl LX. Their chances of playing a home game at Levi's Stadium on Feb. 8 aren't good. Coming off a 6-11 season, the 49ers overhauled their roster. Gone are Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward, Talanoa Hufanga, Javon Hargrave, Leonard Floyd, Maliek Collins and Deebo Samuel. Nick Bosa, though, still believes his team has what it takes. 'I definitely think this group can win a Super Bowl,' Bosa said Thursday on Bay Area radio station KNBR, via David Bonilla of 'I mean, you look at our '19 team, and nobody thought that was [a Super Bowl-level squad]. 'It's not about having a huge-name guy at every position, kind of like we did in '23 or whatever. It's just how you gel, and how you play. And I think, when I look at who we have on this team, I think we undoubtedly have a chance to do that.' The 49ers have seen the return of stars Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams, who combined to miss 20 games last season. Brandon Aiyuk, who missed 10 games last season with a knee injury, still is working his way back. But the 49ers still will need a lot of good health and good luck to do what Bosa thinks they can do.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Major questions linger at position that will set tone for 49ers' defense in 2025
There was a lot of movement happening on the San Francisco 49ers' roster this offseason. The changes they underwent may be best described through the battle happening at linebacker in training camp. What has been a largely rock solid group for San Francisco since 2019 was actually a source of weakness on the 49ers' defense a season ago. Dre Greenlaw's Achilles injury in Super Bowl LVIII threw the group into flux and they never really recovered while trying to piece together a unit around him. With Greenlaw's exit in free agency, the 49ers elected not to sign an established veteran and will instead hold a competition for the two open starting jobs. How those battles shake out and the quality of players who emerge will set the floor for the 49ers' defense in 2025. Here are some of San Francisco's key questions at LB going into camp: Who were the 49ers starting LBs last year? Fred Warner started in the middle of the 49ers' front seven. His three-down running mate for most of the year was veteran De'Vondre Campbell. The third LB spot changed throughout the year with Dee Winters, Tatum Bethune and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles all getting time there. Winters led that group with 398 defensive snaps. Flannigan-Fowles played 150. Did the 49ers lose any key LBs? They sure did. Greenlaw leaving in free agency to join the Denver Broncos is arguably the biggest offseason loss for San Francisco. Flannigan-Fowles is also no longer with the club after spending his entire six-year career with the 49ers. His loss will be felt more on special teams than on the defensive side. Do the 49ers have any injuries at LB? There's nothing major to start camp. Warner is healthy after playing through an ankle fracture last year, and the rest of the group appears poised to hit the ground running when camp opens Thursday. Who are San Francisco's starting LBs? This is one of the top questions they'll answer in camp. Warner will take his usual Mike LB spot. The Will LB job is up for grabs between Winters and rookie third-round pick Nick Martin. The Sam LB job could go to a player like Bethune or former seventh-round pick Jalen Graham. Which LBs are frontrunners for roster spots? Warner will be on the roster, and Winters and Martin can both be penciled in. Bethune appears to be in line for one of those spots, and Luke Gifford has an inside track to the roster because of his special teams contributions. One name to watch will be Curtis Robinson. The team likes him and he plays a ton of special teams, but he's returning from a torn ACL and may not start the season on the active roster. We'll pencil him in to stay on the PUP list to start the year with a return at some point after Week 4. Which LBs are on the 49ers' roster bubble? There's a lot of uncertainty at this position, so we're going to put every LB who isn't Warner, Winters or Martin on the bubble. That includes Bethune and Gifford, along with Graham, Chazz Surratt and undrafted rookie Stone article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers training camp: Nick Martin, Dee Winters highlight battle at LB
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Highlights from Broncos' first day of pre-camp acclimation
The Denver Broncos are kicking off training camp with a two-day acclimation period on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the first official day of practice (with fans in attendance) on Friday. Following the light session on Wednesday, here are some of the highlights from media members at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. 1. Official Broncos footage 2. Bo Nix highlights 3. Courtland Sutton in attendance 4. Pat Bryant looks sharp 5. More from Bo Nix 6. J.K. Dobbins on the field 7. Dre Greenlaw's debut 8. RJ Harvey SZN 9. Bo Nix hits Troy Franklin 10. Bo Nix hits Courtland Sutton The Broncos will have another light session on Thursday before the action picks up on Friday. Football is officially back. Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans. This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: Highlights from first day of pre-camp acclimation
