ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Statistically, the Denver Broncos have the best defense in the NFL, and it could be getting even better this weekend.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw is eligible to come off IR against the New York Giants (2-4) on Sunday after recovering from a quadriceps injury that has sidelined him since summertime.
Greenlaw practiced Wednesday for the first time since Sept. 12.
“Dre looked good out there,” star cornerback Patrick Surtain II said. “Obviously, his first day back out there on the field in a minute. It seems like he's very sharp on everything, the game plan, so I'm very excited for him.”
And for how much better the Broncos (4-2) can be with their prized free-agent acquisition's Denver debut.
“I think it's awesome,” edge rusher Jonathon Cooper said. "Obviously, we know the type of player Dre Greenlaw is, you watch the film. And you add that type of dynamic to this defense with him being right, it's just going to take us even to another level.
“I'm excited for him to return.”
Denver's defense leads the NFL in several categories, including red zone defense (28.6%) and third-down defense (27.1%). Their 254.2 yards per game yield is just behind Atlanta's 253.4. Their league-best 30 sacks are 10 more than second-place Pittsburgh and Nik Bonitto leads the NFL with eight sacks, putting him on pace for 23.
Cooper was named the AFC's Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday, a week after Bonitto earned the honor.
“It's just motivating me to do more,” Cooper said.
Cooper and Bonitto are the first Broncos to win the league's weekly defensive award back-to-back.
“I'm just trying to beat him. I can't let him take over me. I should be out there with sacks with him right now," said Cooper, who has 4 1/2 sacks. "But no, I think it's really cool. That's my brother. I shout him out every time I get a chance to. Yeah, he's one of the best football players I've ever played with.
“He does it one week, I've got to make sure I'm right there with him, you know?"
The Broncos held the Jets to minus-10 yards passing Sunday in a gritty 13-11 win in London, where they allowed QB Justin Fields to complete just nine passes and sacked him nine times, the second-highest one-game total in franchise history.
Cooper's eager to see what Denver's defense can do Sunday when it faces Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
“Yeah, I mean, he's a young guy. He's feeling himself a little bit. He's out there running around, he's got the chain on, he's dancing,” Cooper said. “You know, looks like everybody needs something. But we went against QBs who have run around the pocket and everything, try to do stuff with their legs. So, it ain't nothing we haven't seen.”
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New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) is challenged by Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) in the second half of an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in London. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) loses his helmet after he was tackled by the Broncos Jonathon Cooper in the second half of an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in London. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)
FILE - Denver Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw (57) warms up at an NFL football training practice July 28, 2025, in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Federal immigration authorities will expand their enforcement action in North Carolina to Raleigh as soon as Tuesday, the mayor of the state’s capital city said, while Customs and Border Protection agents continue operating in Charlotte following a weekend that saw arrests of more than 130 people in that city.
Mayor Janet Cowell said Monday that she didn’t know how large the operation would be or how long agents would be present. Immigration authorities haven’t spoken about it. The Democrat said in a statement that crime was lower in Raleigh this year compared to last and that public safety was a priority for her and the city council.
“I ask Raleigh to remember our values and maintain peace and respect through any upcoming challenges,” Cowell said in a statement.
U.S. immigration agents arrested more than 130 people over the weekend in a sweep through Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city, a federal official said Monday.
The movements in North Carolina come after the Trump administration launched immigration crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago. Both of those are deep blue cities in deep blue states run by nationally prominent officials who make no secret of their anger at the White House. The political reasoning there seemed obvious.
But why North Carolina and why was Charlotte the first target there?
Sure the mayor is a Democrat, as is the governor, but neither is known for wading into national political battles. In a state where divided government has become the norm, Gov. Josh Stein in particular has tried hard to get along with the GOP-controlled state legislature. The state's two U.S. senators are both Republican and President Donald Trump won the state in the last three presidential elections.
The Department of Homeland Security has said it is focusing on North Carolina because of so-called sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation between local authorities and immigration agents.
But maybe focusing on a place where politics is less outwardly bloody was part of the equation.
The White House “can have enough opposition (to its crackdown), but it's a weaker version" than what it faced in places like Chicago, said Rick Su, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law who studies local government, immigration and federalism.
“They’re not interested in just deporting people. They’re interested in the show,” he said.
The Trump administration has made Charlotte, a Democratic city of about 950,000 people, its latest focus for an immigration enforcement surge it says will combat crime — despite local opposition and declining crime rates. Residents reported encounters with immigration agents near churches, apartment complexes and stores.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Border Patrol officers had arrested “over 130 illegal aliens who have all broken” immigration laws. The agency said the records of those arrested included gang membership, aggravated assault, shoplifting and other crimes, but it did not say how many cases had resulted in convictions, how many people had been facing charges or any other details.
The crackdown set off fierce objections from area leaders.
“We’ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color,” Stein said in a video statement late Sunday. “This is not making us safer. It’s stoking fear and dividing our community.”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Monday she was “deeply concerned” about videos she’s seen of the crackdown but also said she appreciates protesters’ peacefulness.
“To everyone in Charlotte who is feeling anxious or fearful: You are not alone. Your city stands with you,” she said in a statement.
Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County have both found themselves part of America’s debates over crime and immigration, two of the most important issues to the White House.
The most prominent was the fatal stabbing this summer of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train, an attack captured on video. While the suspect was from the U.S., the Trump administration repeatedly highlighted that he had been arrested previously more than a dozen times.
Charlotte, which had a Republican mayor as recently as 2009, is now a city dominated by Democrats, with a growing population brought by a booming economy. The racially diverse city includes more than 150,000 foreign-born residents, officials say.
Lyles easily won a fifth term as mayor earlier this month, defeating her Republican rival by 45 percentage points even as GOP critics blasted city and state leaders for what they call rising incidents of crime. Following the Nov. 4 election, Democrats are poised to hold 10 of the other 11 seats on the city council.
While the Department of Homeland Security has said it is focusing on the state because of sanctuary policies, North Carolina county jails have long honored “detainers,” or requests from federal officials to hold an arrested immigrant for a limited time so agents can take custody of them. Nevertheless, some common, noncooperation policies have existed in a handful of places, including Charlotte, where the police do not help with immigration enforcement.
In Mecklenburg County, the jail did not honor detainer requests for several years, until after state law effectively made it mandatory starting last year.
DHS said about 1,400 detainers across North Carolina had not been honored since October 2020, putting the public at risk.
For years, Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden pushed back against efforts by the Republican-controlled state legislature to force him and a handful of sheriffs from other urban counties to accept ICE detainers.
Republicans ultimately overrode a veto by then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper late last year to enact the bill into law.
While McFadden has said his office is complying with the law’s requirement, he continued a public feud with ICE leaders in early 2025 that led to a new state law toughening those rules. Stein vetoed that measure, but the veto was overridden.
Republican House Speaker Destin Hall said in a Monday post on X that immigration agents are in Charlotte because of McFadden’s past inaction: “They’re stepping in to clean up his mess and restore safety to the city.”
Last month, McFadden said he'd had a productive meeting with an ICE representative.
“I made it clear that I do not want to stop ICE from doing their job, but I do want them to do it safely, responsibly, and with proper coordination by notifying our agency ahead of time,” McFadden said in a statement.
But such talk doesn't calm the political waters.
“Democrats at all levels are choosing to protect criminal illegals over North Carolina citizens,” state GOP Chairman Jason Simmons said Monday.
Sullivan reported from Minneapolis and Robertson from Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press writers Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland and Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed to this report.
U.S. Border Patrol Commander at large Gregory Bovino takes a phone call, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
A sign reading 'ICE is not welcome here' is displayed outside of store front amidst federal law enforcement presence, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Protestors set up outside of Manolo's Bakery amidst federal law enforcement, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
A sign of support is posted outside of Manolo's bakery which is closed amidst federal law enforcement presence, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Manuel 'Manolo' Betancur sits outside of his bakery which is closed amidst federal law enforcement presence, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Shana Blake sits in a cage dressed as the Statue of Liberty to protest federal law enforcement presence in Charlotte, N.C. Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
People protest against federal immigration enforcement Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
People protest against federal immigration enforcement Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
