The Denver Broncos defense got a significant addition for tomorrow’s game against the New York Giants, as linebacker Dre Greenlaw was officially activated and will make his first appearance of the season coming off injured reserve. 

According to an ESPN story written by Jeff Legwold, Greenlaw was activated today and is listed as questionable on the team’s injury list after not playing in the preseason or the first six games of the regular season. Greenlaw practiced for the first time on Wednesday and was a full participant on Friday. The Broncos subsequently waived third-string quarterback Sam Ehrlinger, who was signed to Denver’s practice squad today. 

Greenlaw’s injury status has been something of a mystery since the linebacker injured his thigh in an offseason workout and did not participate in the on-field portions of OTAs and minicamp. The linebacker initially practiced at the start of training camp, but he subsequently suffered what coach Sean Payton called “a different injury.”

Greenlaw was one of the biggest signings of Denver’s offseason, inking a three-year, $31 million deal. Payton has talked a lot about the linebacker’s physicality and athleticism and what it would add to the defense, but Denver has already had a top-tier defense without him. The Broncos lead the league in sacks, third-down defense, red-zone defense and defensive EPA, and Denver is second in the league in scoring defense. 

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said this week that Greenlaw may be on something of a play count in his return, and it will be interesting to see what kind of impact the linebacker has. 

"Obviously when you (add) a good player, it makes you a better defense,'' Joseph said. "... He's been a great player for a long time.''

At the moment this is a classic case of the rich getting richer, and it represents yet another headache for coach Brian Daboll of the 2-4 New York Giants. His rookie quarterback, Jaxson Dart, is playing surprisingly well, but Dart is also adventurous once he leaves the pocket, and he may get an opportunity to meet Greenlaw up close and personal this week. 

The Giants have some stellar pass rushers of their own, so this could be a low-scoring affair. The Broncos offense has been struggling with inconsistency, and last week in London the New York Jets limited quarterback Bo Nix by making sure they had a man in the Nix’s face every time he rolled out. Both quarterbacks could see a lot more of that sort of thing tomorrow.