SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Montee Ball will visit his doctor Monday in the hope he will be cleared to practice this week.
The Broncos’ starting running back missed the previous two weeks to recover from an appendectomy. Even if Ball does receive his doctor’s clearance, the Broncos’ medical team may not allow him to take contact during practices Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in preparation to play Houston. And he may not play in the Broncos’ third preseason game against the Texans.
“But I am hoping so,” he said. “I’m tired of sitting around.”
Ball was impressed with how the young bucks behind him ran the ball Sunday in a 34-0 preseason win against the San Francisco 49ers at freshly opened Levi’s Stadium.
“Who you calling a young buck?” said Ronnie Hillman, who rushed for 19 yards on four carries.
Hillman as a third-year player has the most experience among the Broncos’ running backs. But at 22, he’s still younger than Ball and C.J. Anderson, who are both 23.
“They’re running hard. Something you can’t teach, running hard,” Ball said. “I’m excited to come back and get back to it. It’s all about lathering up. You need to get that lather, man. That’s important. Get back used to getting tackled, getting hit.”
Injury scares. Two Broncos had to be helped off the field. Rookie linebacker Lamin Barrow eventually was carted to the X-ray machine room, but no break was found in his lower leg.
Tight end Gerrell Robinson landed awkwardly after he was tackled, but the initial prognosis was he suffered a hyperextended knee. He will undergo an MRI on Monday.
“Hopefully, it won’t be as bad as it looked,” Robinson said. “I don’t think it was anything major.”
Linebacker Jamar Chaney suffered a hamstring injury.
Roby starts for Webster. Kayvon Webster was supposed to start at right cornerback in place of Chris Harris, who continues to rehab from his ACL surgery. Then Webster suffered a sprained ankle during a routine practice drill Saturday.
PHOTOS: Denver Broncos shut down the San Francisco 49ers in preseason match-up
That gave first-round draft pick Bradley Roby his first NFL preseason start. Strangely, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kept throwing toward veteran left cornerback Aqib Talib and left the rookie Roby alone.
“I thought he would test me a little bit, but he tested the other side,” Roby said. “I’m sure they’ll game-plan differently once the regular season starts.”
There is hope Webster can practice later this week. Harris won’t be cleared for full contact until the opening week of the regular season.
Missing. Besides Harris and Webster, the Broncos also played without receiver Emmanuel Sanders (quadriceps), defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson (hip), tight end Virgil Green (calf) and linebacker Von Miller (knee).
Bibbs makes tackle. Kapri Bibbs, an undrafted rookie from Colorado State, had a nice 11-yard run as a running back and made the tackle on a kickoff coverage in which the returner fumbled. So which play meant more?
“Special teams,” he said. “I know I can run. I just have to put in work in other places so I can plant something in the coaches’ minds. Let them know I’m out there and willing to work at any position, whether that’s special teams, offense.”
Footnotes. The 49ers honored comedian Robin Williams with a moment of silence before the game and a video tribute in the fourth quarter. Williams was living in the San Francisco area when he took his life last week. … Matt Prater made all three of his 33-yard extra points during the league’s two-week preseason experiment. Rookie kicker Mitch Ewald was 4-of-4. “It was OK with me,” Prater said. “You should make them from 33, too.” … In their two preseason losses, the 49ers, widely considered one of the top three or four teams in the league, have been outscored 57-3.
