LONG-AWAITED RETURN
Broncos outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware returns to practice Tuesday, running through drills at Dove Valley. Ware, out with a back injury, was seeing action on the field for the first time since helping Denver win Super Bowl 50.
DeMarcus Ware already put a quarterback in his sights. He slow-played through training camp, but the veteran Broncos linebacker is ready to rush him with gusto.
“If you put a John Elway jersey on and you dropped back at quarterback and ask me to go full speed and sack you right now, I can probably do that,” Ware said Tuesday. “But it’s all on the coaches and their discretion when they want me back.”
Ware practiced for the first time since February’s Super Bowl, after a back injury kept him out through offseason workouts and training camp. He worked a walkthrough, took in conditioning work and played with Denver’s defense for about an hour.
Ware was the Broncos’ most efficient pass rusher last season, with 7½ sacks in only 11 games. He trailed Von Miller’s 11 over 16 games for the team lead. But he’s not chasing Miller. Ware is chasing J.J. Watt’s NFL-best 17½ sacks for Houston.
“I always think about, can I be the sack leader in the NFL that year?” he said. “I’m taking that same approach this year. I have a lot of years in this league, but I have a lot of ball still in me.”
Ware said he played in the Super Bowl at about 70 percent health. But “I feel better than I did at the end of last season,” he said. “Now I’m at 94 percent” — that’s his running joke, as he wears No. 94. He’s aiming to play his first game this season in the Broncos’ season opener Sept. 8 against the Carolina Panthers.
The Broncos have younger linebackers lined up behind Ware, including Shane Ray in his second year, who might surpass him in playing time this season, depending on the strength of Ware’s back. Ware, though, said he continues to challenge Denver’s defense as the team’s veteran leader. He wants more.
“They say we were one of the best defenses ever, statistically,” Ware said. “But how effective can we be getting more turnovers, making the big plays that win games?”
Tag-teaming linebackers.
Ware’s return to the Broncos’ linebacking corps gives them two quarterback-hunting edge defenders in a twopronged attack, with Von Miller opposite him. Their combination — Miller’s speed and athleticism paired with Ware’s veteran guile — can cause matchup issues for offenses.
And Ware said he has scouted a new-look Miller, with more to offer.
“I’ve been watching Von the whole offseason. He’s a different guy,” Ware said. “Yeah, he did the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and all the other stuff, traveled around the world. But when he came back, he was a lot more focused. He got a lot of that out of his system. You can tell by the tenacity he brings to the field.”
Footnotes.
Cornerback Aqib Talib did not practice Tuesday because of an illness, coach Gary Kubiak said. … Defensive end Derek Wolfe and linebacker Dekoda Watson did not practice while dealing with personal issues, Kubiak said. … Tight ends Jeff Heuerman (hamstring) and Garrett Graham (shoulder) and offensive linemen Darrion Weems (concussion) and Ty Sambrailo (elbow) also did not practice. Michael Schofield probably will start Saturday at right guard in place of Weems, who had replaced Sambrailo. Kubiak is holding out hope that Sambrailo will be ready for the season opener.