Jim Leonhard didn't take part in the team portion of Broncos practice on Tuesday, but he got what he wanted out of his first practice since signing on Aug. 4: He felt no pain.
"It feels better than it did before I hurt it," said Leonhard, who was activated from the physically-unable-to-perform list for Tuesday's practice.
"It's going to be a little touch-and-go right away, just trying to get my legs back under me," Leonhard said. "These guys have been in training camp for three weeks now, and I've missed an entire offseason coming off of a surgery, so it's going to take a little time to get back to 100 percent and feel totally comfortable with everything."
Tuesday's work was the first for Leonhard with teammates since he tore a patella tendon in December, ending his season and placing his career into limbo because his contract expired and he went unsigned in the offseason. He had been running and cutting on his own on an adjacent field in recent days with members of the Broncos' conditioning staff.
Leonhard doesn't know whether he'll play in either of the Broncos' two remaining preseason games. "Whether that's the right thing for my knee or not, we'll find out," he said. There's also some question over where Leonhard will fit. He's third on the depth chart at free safety behind Rahim Moore and Rafael Bush.
Even if Leonhard doesn't work his way into the starting lineup on defense, he could be an option on punt returns. Leonhard has a career 10.0-yard average on 82 returns since 2005. The first-team punt returner is WR Eric Decker, but the Broncos would prefer not to expose him to such high-risk special-teams work. CB Syd'Quan Thompson is listed as the backup. He has just three career punt returns for a 6.0-yard average.
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