ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --Offensive lineman Ty Sambrailo went through individual drills for the first time since injuring his elbow July 31 as the Broncos began on-field preparations for the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Sambrailo, who worked with a brace on his right elbow, did not play in any preseason games as he recovered from the injury, which sidelined him for all August on-field work. He opened training camp as the first-team right guard, but was listed as the backup at both tackle spots on the season-opening depth chart issued Sunday morning.
The Broncos completed their first practice of the regular season Sunday as they get ready to host the Panthers.
"Ty's going to have to play everywhere," Head Coach Gary Kubiak said. "Let's face it; he hasn't been back out here. We're doing everything we can to get him to game day right now."
While Sambrailo and center James Ferentz returned on a limited basis, two players did not practice Sunday: WR Bennie Fowler and TE Jeff Heuerman.
Fowler is still recovering from a fractured elbow; he worked out off to the side with a brace on the right elbow he injured against the Chicago Bears on Aug. 11.
Heuerman also worked out off to the side. He was on the field last week, but did not play in the preseason finale at Arizona last Thursday. He hasn't had a full practice workload since injuring his hamstring Aug. 17, but Kubiak hopes to have him in the lineup Thursday night.
"We'll see what we get out of him [Monday], but I think Jeff's capable of playing with limited work," Kubiak said. "We've just got to be smart and get him there the right way."
