Week 1 Practice Report: Broncos very healthy heading into season opener

This is it, these games count.

The time has finally arrived for the 2016 NFL season to kick off in spectacular fashion here in the Mile High City. Your reigning champions host the Carolina Panthers in a Super Bowl 50 rematch that will surely be one to remember as the regular season kicks-off with concerts and a two festival hosted at Civic Center Park.

“We’ve had a good week and our preparation leading up to this week, we kind of knew how exactly we were going to bring our team along, but it’s been a good week and good focus and good practice,” Head Coach Gary Kubiak told media when asked about the mood of the team at practice this week.

Jeff Heuerman, Ty Sambrailo and James Ferentz are listed as questionable to kickoff the 2016 season after all were limited at practice this week. Wide receiver Bennie Fowler is out with an elbow injury he suffered early in the preseason.

“If he can play, if he’s 100 percent, he’s fine as far as his assignments and all of those things,” Kubiak said about Heuerman after he practiced late in the week. “I think the move today give us a chance; we’ll see.”

Heuerman, a second-year player out of Ohio State, has not seen the field as a professional, dealing with a torn ACL last year and an ankle problem this preseason has caused the former third round pick to fall in the depth charts. This has allowed Virgil Green to step in as the starting tight end for the Mile High Crew.

One of the veteran players you will see above is veteran DeMarcus Ware, who has been battling a lower back injury that he suffered in early October against the Oakland Raiders.

“I think DeMarcus Ware is ready to go. Again, he won’t play the whole game, but I think he’s ready to rush the passer and situational play for us as much as we need him,” Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips told media. “He’s in pretty good shape. We just have to see. He just hasn’t played in the games.”

“You have to put that play count behind you, and you say how many or how effective can I be with the plays that I do have while you’re out there,” No. 94 said after being questioned about being on a limited snap count. “ It puts a little bit of extra fire under you too because you know that if you’re playing a 60-play game, you can set guys up, set a chess match, you can set them up for those third-down plays. Every single play that I’m out there, I feel like it’s like a big play. I’m going to take it as that and just keep it rolling.”