ENGLEWOOD — Champ Bailey suited up for practice only to sit out.
The Denver Broncos Pro Bowl cornerback stepped on the field Tuesday wearing his cleats and helmet, but didn’t participate in the session. His availability for the season opener Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens remains uncertain due to a tender left foot.
Asked if his foot was feeling any better as he made his way out of the locker room, Bailey simply responded: “Yeah, yeah. Every day, every day.”
Coach John Fox had no update on Bailey, only saying “our final injury report comes out (Wednesday); we’ll leave it at that.”
Bailey has been out since spraining his foot on Aug. 17 in a preseason game at Seattle.
He said Monday that he was “very close” to being ready. Bailey also indicated his playing status remains “up in the air,” since the troublesome foot still sometimes hampers him when he backpedals or runs side to side.
Should Bailey be unavailable, Chris Harris could slide over and start on the left side opposite fellow cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
“I’ve been starting the whole preseason, so it’s the same mentality — just play my role,” Harris said. “We’ve still got guys who can play. I feel like I can come in and step up. I’ve done it before. We’re a good group. We have a good core here.”
In addition to Bailey, running back C.J. Anderson and tight end Joel Dreessen didn’t practice due to knee injuries. Offensive lineman Chris Kuper (ankle) was limited during the final practice before the opener.
“The guys have been focused, understandably so,” Fox said of this week’s tempo at practice. “It’s the start of a new season. We’re fortunate to be kicking off the NFL season on national television, against an opponent we know pretty well and they know us pretty well.”
