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There was some back-and-forth when Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez had surgery to repair a minor thumb injury on his non-throwing hand.

Sanchez himself was hopeful of not missing any time, but the Broncos were skeptical he’d be ready to go.

But when they took the field Tuesday for OTAs, the presumptive starter was out there on the field, his left thumb in a small wrap but otherwise normal.

That allowed Sanchez to make a good first impression on his new teammates, as he tries to take over for some guy named Peyton Manning.

“That’s what you like to see in a competitor,” cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said of Sanchez, via Art Stapleton of the Associated Press.

Sanchez was the first quarterback in line during all the individual drills, but gave way to Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch during team periods, so he’s not all the way back yet.

“Anytime you’re not in there full go, you’re just itching to get back into the swing of things,” Sanchez said. “But this was better than nothing and we’ll just take it smart, slow and steady.”

Of course, with a first-round pick on hand, and coach Gary Kubiak talking up the unknown Siemian, Sanchez has some obvious motivation to do what he can to remind his new team he’s the only one there with actual NFL experience. Lynch’s draft position means he’ll eventually get a chance to be the guy, but Sanchez knows he has an opportunity here to give his own career a boost by playing alongside a tremendous defense.