Broncos hit with some bad news ahead of Week 3 vs. Chargers as star defender and one of Bo Nix’s top weapons are sidelined
An unfortunate update ahead of the team’s Week 3 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Denver Broncos are going to be a little shorthanded against the Los Angeles Chargers for their divisional matchup in Week 3. It’s an unfortunate trend with two of their top offseason acquisitions. Both tight end Evan Engram and linebacker Dre Greenlaw were ruled out in Friday’s injury report.
Engram has been battling injury through the early stages of the 2025 season, not fully unlocking his potential in the offense yet. Luckily, the team got some good news in that tight end Nate Adkins is healthy enough to return. Engram was brought in to the team to be one of the top weapons in the offense, and has been limited to four receptions for 33 yards.
Zac Stevens, beat reporter for DNVR Broncos, broke the news that while Greenlaw is going to miss the contest, it goes beyond their upcoming game. The linebacker has been placed on injured reserve and will need to miss the next four weeks due to a quad injury.
The Friday injury report for Denver did give Broncos Country a reason to celebrate. In the report, linebacker Nik Bonitto, safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Alex Singleton, linebacker Justin Strnad, and Adkins were all full participants with no designation heading into the matchup. On Saturday, Parker Gabriel from The Denver Post reported that the team is elevating linebacker Garrett Wallow and fullback Adam Prentice from the practice squad for the Chargers game.
Greenlaw’s offseason injury lingered much longer
Greenlaw has been unable to see the field since joining the team this offseason. While Engram’s injuries have been popping up, he’s been on the field in the preseason and during the team’s first two games, while Greenlaw has been absent and hasn’t registered a single snap with the team.
Head coach Sean Payton didn’t place Greenlaw on injured reserve when the season began, instead thinking he would be back sometime within the first four weeks. His quad injury has forced him off the field, and the move will allow Greenlaw to fully recover in hopes of being a difference-maker in the second half of the season.
On Wednesday, Payton was approached about Greenlaw and his injury, asking if they were on the same page with the linebacker.
“We felt like he’s kind of on our schedule,” Payton said. “And, look, we spent time on it because it’s a little nebulous relative to the injury. And that’s all I’ll say.”
In April 2025, Greenlaw suffered what was initially reported as a severe quad injury that, at the time, was believed to be significant enough for Greenlaw to miss substantial time. Months later, that’s looking like it was exactly the case with the talented linebacker. Charles Goldman from A to Z Sports highlighted the concerns with Greenlaw heading into the season.
“Greenlaw has a lengthy injury history during his time in the NFL. In 2020, he missed two games with a quad injury. In 2021, he missed 14 games with a groin injury. He missed a single game in each of 2022 and 2023 with calf and hamstring strains. Then, in February of 2024, he suffered an Achilles injury that saw him appear in just two games during the 2024 NFL season.” — Charles Goldman.
There’s still plenty of football left in the season, but right now, two of the biggest pieces in the offseason are unable to see the field, leaving Denver a bit shorthanded.
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