Greenlaw back for Broncos ‘sooner than later,’ Payton says

The Broncos didn’t have free-agent pickup Dre Greenlaw on Sunday thanks to a lingering quadriceps injury that kept him out of practice last week.

But the Broncos opted not to place him on injured reserve on Saturday, and on Monday morning, coach Sean Payton offered a quick update as an aside in the midst of an answer to a question about safety Talanoa Hufanga, a fellow free-agent pickup this past offseason.

“You’re going to see [Greenlaw] sooner than later,” Payton said.

Greenlaw had practiced in the final two weeks of the preseason and again on Labor Day, but sat out the sessions last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, working out on a side field. The team subsequently ruled him out for Sunday’s game.

BRONCOS STARTED STRNAD IN GREENLAW’S PLACE

Strnad, who filled in for Alex Singleton last year, got the nod Sunday in place of Greenlaw and responded with one of his finest games, notching two quarterback hits — one of which was a sack — and a tackle for loss.

It was the second time that Strnad had a sack and at least one TFL in the same game; he also did so last year against the New York Jets, a game that was his first start after replacing Singleton, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament seven days earlier. Singleton returned Sunday, playing all 57 snaps.

Pro Football Focus gave Strnad the third-highest grade for any player on the Broncos defense, trailing only Nik Bonitto and Ja’Quan McMillian.

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