CHICAGO—On second thought, Von Miller will not play tonight in the Denver Broncos’ preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, according to multiple sources.
All other healthy Broncos starters will play, if only for a series or two. The primary reason Miller won’t play is the Broncos are already down at their outside edge pass-rush positions because of the injuries to Shane Ray and Shaq Barrett.
Ray is expected the first game or two of the regular season because of a torn ligament in his right wrist that required surgery. Barrett will miss the first month or so to recover from an offseason hip injury.
The Broncos will take a long look at rookie DeMarcus Walker, second-year player Vontarrius Dora and veteran Kasim Edebali at the outside linebacker position tonight against the Bears.
Miller is expected to play in either preseason game No. 2 at San Francisco or game 3 against Green Bay, or both, as he does need to fine-tune his play. But he is the Broncos’ best player and arguably the best defensive player in the NFL so it makes sense to minimize risk in the preseason.
