Cravens “ready to go” after returning from knee injury

Safety Su’a Cravens practiced Monday for the first time since Aug. 1, previously sitting out because of knee soreness, and is now in a race to prove he can help the Broncos when they play Seattle on Sept. 9.

Cravens, projected at the start of training camp to be the Broncos’ dime package safety/linebacker hybrid, did individual and team work.

Cravens said he had to “kind of” start his rehabilitation over after experiencing a setback earlier this month.

“I came back a little early and went a little harder than I should have,” he said. “I wanted to see if I could push it and it set me back to not being able to play last week against the Redskins, which is something I really wanted to do. I’m good now, though. I’m ready to go.”

Coach Vance Joseph would not commit to playing Cravens against Arizona in Thursday’s preseason finale.

“He looked fine, physically,” Joseph said. “We’ll see how he reacts (Tuesday) to practicing (Monday) on whether he will play on Thursday.”

Cravens, who has not played in a game since December 2016, said he knows the Broncos’ defense “like the back of my hand,” because he continued to attend meetings and ask questions during his absence.

If he plays Thursday, Cravens said: “I just want to show them what they’ve been waiting to see.”

Said cornerback Chris Harris: “I’m ready to see him on the field. He has a lot to prove. We have high hopes for him to make plays.”

Kelly to start Thursday.

Joseph said 22 Broncos play- ers will not play at Arizona on Thursday.

Chad Kelly will start at quarterback and Paxton Lynch will follow.

“Hopefully they’ll play half and half,” Joseph said. “That’s the game plan going in.”

Joseph said rookie running back Royce Freeman is scheduled to play but added, “We’ll see if he plays and how much he plays.”

McManus on-point.

Broncos kicker Brandon McManus enters the final week of the preseason leading the NFL with 28 points scored and tied for first in made field goals (seven). He has made all seven of field-goal and point-after attempts apiece.

“Pretty pleased,” McManus said of his August. “I had some days in the beginning of training camp that I didn’t do too well, trying to work through different things and try different things. Since the beginning of (the games), I’ve really hit a stride and performed pretty well.”

McManus had field goals of 26 and 35 yards against Chicago in Week 2 and made his attempts from 50, 45, 34 (twice) and 56 yards against Washington.

“My two (teammates) did a great job for me,” said McManus, referring to holder Casey Kreiter and holder Marquette King. “We’re just constantly trying to work through getting a new holder, but we’re doing a great job so far.

“Tom came in and really has the guys flying down the field and giving them a chance to make plays inside the 25. Obviously, we know I can kick touchbacks with my leg strength, but he likes me to pop the ball up and let them make a play. We’ve done that so far in the preseason and hopefully it transitions to the (regular) season.”

Interest in Henderson.

Second-year running back De’Angelo Henderson is on the roster bubble because Freeman, Devontae Booker and Phillip Lindsay appear to be the top three on the depth chart.

A league source told The Denver Post on Monday that several teams intend to express interest in Henderson if he becomes available on waivers Saturday.

If the Broncos plan to cut Henderson, they could spend Friday and early Saturday shopping him to teams who would be willing to give up a draft pick instead of gambling he is available to claim when their turn is up.

Footnotes.

New cornerback Adam Jones assumed jersey No. 20 that was vacated by safety Jamal Carter, who is out for the season with a hamstring injury. Linebacker Alexander Johnson switched from No. 62 to No. 45, the number linebacker Bo Bower had until his release Sunday. … Safety Darian Stewart was given the day off by Joseph. Not practicing were cornerback Marcus Rios (leg), guard J.J. Dielman (knee), offensive tackle Andreas Knappe (concussion) and tight end Troy Fumagalli (groin). … Center Sam Jones (back) practiced for the first time since Aug. 14.