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The Green Bay Packers may have shown a greater willingness this offseason to sign veteran free agents under first-year general manager Brian Gutekunst Alvin Kamara Jersey , but the team is standing pat for now after injuries to key contributors on defense.

One day after inside linebacker Jake Ryan (knee) and safety Kentrell Brice (ankle) each had to be carted off the practice field, Gutekunst said Tuesday he's not going to seek outside help at either position.

With Ryan out, rookie third-round draft pick Oren Burks took snaps with the No. 1 defense at inside linebacker. And with Brice sidelined, Josh Jones, a second-round pick a year ago, got most of the reps at safety alongside Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Jermaine Whitehead also worked with the first unit at safety in Brice's place.

"You know, you never like to see any of that, especially with those guys who have worked as hard as they have. But it's football, it's part of it and it's our job to be prepared and keep moving forward," Gutekunst said.

"I think the best practice is patience. We have some young players that show some promise out there, and we'd kind of like them to continue to grow into those kind of roles and see what we have," he added.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he could not give timelines on either player's recovery and that Ryan was still undergoing further tests on his right knee. Ryan got hurt while making a tackle during a team period near the end of Monday's in-pads practice.

Brice, who took virtually every team snap with the No. 1 defense before his injury, injured his ankle when he was blindsided during a punt coverage drill. He was able to attend practice and was walking gingerly on the sideline.

Bruce missed much of last season with another ankle injury.

The starting safety spot opposite Clinton-Dix came open this offseason when longtime starter Morgan Burnett left as a free agent and joined the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jones Kyle Juszczyk Jersey , who played more than 700 defensive snaps last year as a rookie, now must put that experience to use.

"Next man up. That's the mentality," Jones said. "You hate to see one of your teammates go down, but the next guy should be prepared. That's why you prepare. When it's your time to be called upon, you're ready."

The Packers drafted the 6-foot-3, 233-pound Burks with the hope that his athleticism and speed - he spent the early part of his college career at Vanderbilt playing safety - would be an asset in coverage on passing downs in the team's dime package. He was already working with the starters in that sub group, but on Tuesday, he was with the 1s in the base defense as well.

"You just never know when your opportunity is going to come," Burks said. "I'm doing my best to get better every day. I know I'm going to make mistakes - I'm a rookie. But I just learn from those mistakes, try not to make them twice and try to grow."

NOTES: Pro Bowl DL Mike Daniels (quadriceps) missed practice but his injury is not considered serious. Also sitting out Tuesday were FB Joe Kerridge (shoulder), RB Aaron Jones (hamstring), LB C.J. Johnson (hamstring) and OL Alex Light (ankle). . Gutekunst said he had no updates on contract talks with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but continued to express confidence that an extension would get done. "I wouldn't put any timelines on it," Gutekunst said. "As long as everybody is working toward the same goal Tramon Williams Jersey , I think we feel positive about it."

For the first time since 2014, the Denver Broncos spent their summer without a job-share arrangement at quarterback, something they expect to give them a big boost Sunday when they open against the Seattle Seahawks with Case Keenum under center .

"That's the best thing if you've got one quarterback you can go with," receiver Demaryius Thomas said. "Like, for example, Antonio Brown's been with Ben Roethlisberger since forever. That's why they're so good."

Gary Kubiak spelled Peyton Manning with Brock Osweiler in 2015, and that plan paid off during a special season in which Osweiler stepped up while Manning was sidelined with a bum foot and kept the Broncos' Super Bowl hopes alive until Manning's return.

Protracted quarterback competitions at training camp in 2016 and '17, however, seemed to hinder the team's rhythm and chemistry, two qualities that are so vital in a league where timing is everything.

In 2016, Trevor Siemian beat out veteran Mark Sanchez and rookie Paxton Lynch, and last year Siemian beat out Lynch again but not before the two shared a significant number of snaps with undrafted Kyle Sloter, who wasn't even in the mix for the Broncos' starting job.

Upon signing Keenum to a prove-it two-year free agent deal worth $36 million in March, general manager John Elway declared Keenum as the Broncos' undisputed starter .

The only question Nathan Peterman Jersey , he said, was who would back him up.

While all the drama in QB-crazed Denver this summer centered around Chad Kelly leapfrogging Lynch, the first-rounder who was ultimately cut , for the backup job, Keenum was getting almost all the work with the No. 1 offense.

Thomas and an energized Emmanuel Sanders appreciated the consistency and both had terrific training camps. Thomas said that chemistry puts the offense way ahead of where it was at this time in the last few seasons.

"We've gotten enough run routes, passing plays in," he said with a smile. "So, it was a good thing."

Having an established starter also paid dividends for the O-line.

"Absolutely, you want one guy back there knowing that's your guy and where he sets up and how he controls the offense," left tackle Garett Bolles said.

This in many ways marks Keenum's first time being "The Guy."

Keenum led the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC championship game last season after injuries to Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater.

He started the Rams' opener back in 2016 but he would give way later that year to top draft pick Jared Goff before going to Minnesota and having a career year in which he threw for 3,457 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The Broncos are his fourth team in six NFL seasons after Kubiak gave him his first chance with the Texans as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Houston in 2013.

His Denver debut got a little more daunting Wednesday when Seahawks safety Earl Thomas ended his lengthy holdout in time for the team's trip to Denver even without a new contract.

Although Seattle coach Pete Carroll wouldn't commit to whether Thomas will play in the opener at Denver this weekend, the Broncos have no choice but to prepare for his presence.

"Earl is a special player," Keenum said. "He's one of the best I've ever played against. I've played him a bunch, watched him a bunch and he does some things on film that nobody else can do."

Missing all of the Seahawks' offseason program Mark Bavaro Jersey , training camp and the preseason makes Thomas no less formidable, either, Keenum suggested.

"He's a guy who you just need to know where he is at all times because he can play his assignment from almost anywhere on the field," Keenum said. "So ... I guarantee you he can step in and be right wherever he wants to be."

Thomas is a three-time first-team All-Pro and was the anchor for the Seattle defense that appeared in consecutive Super Bowls, winning the first in a wipeout of the Broncos.

Seattle used Tedric Thompson as its primary free safety during Thomas' holdout.

Regardless of whether it's Thompson or Thomas that they'll be facing Sunday, the Broncos have a healthy respect for Seattle's stingy defense even though it has lost fellow "Legion of Boom" members Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman.

The Broncos feel better about their offense, too, after Elway infused his roster with talented rookie receivers Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton, rookie running back Royce Freeman and second-year tight end Jake Butt, who missed last season on IR.

"I've got a lot of respect for 29," Keenum said of Thomas. "But we trust our guys running routes and catching the ball versus anybody out there."

AP Sports Writer Tim Booth contributed.

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