ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- On the surface it was just another practice play in a summer sea full of practice plays.

There was Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, under center, doing Manning what Manning does when making things just so in the team's offense. Pointing, working through the cadence, moving people around, all in some situational work.

Manny Ramirez snapped the ball, Manning started his dropback, eyes downfield. Just as he planted his back foot to start his throwing motion, linebacker Von Miller swooped in, a training-camp fly-by with a simple touch to the quarterback's shoulder that is required.

And if there is one play in recent weeks that showed Miller's readiness to return from ACL surgery and back into the lineup, that one is better than most.

"I just feel great," Miller said. "I've been coming in every day, doing what they want me to do, everything I need to do to get back on the field. That's where I'm at. I'm in a good place."

Over the past two weeks the Broncos have seen Miller's progress from his January surgery to repair his ACL. First they allowed him to participate in some team drills when the team wasn't in full gear and then in fully padded practices as well. The prevailing wisdom with the team's decision-makers in watching all of that is that he just might be ready to take some snaps in Saturday night's preseason game against the Houston Texans.

It is the Broncos' third preseason game so the routine schedule calls for the starters to play into the third quarter before they largely sit out the fourth preseason game just five days later. For Miller it would likely be the only opportunity to get on the field before the regular season begins -- if that is indeed still something the Broncos would like to do.

"We'll just play it day to day," Broncos head coach John Fox has said. " ... We like what we've seen, but we're going to be smart about all of our players. You want to get ready to play in the preseason, but you also want to make sure you have everybody you can available for the regular season. But again we like what we've seen."

Miller figures to at least get some work during the three days' worth of practices with the Texans this week. But the two teams will try to play it as safely as possible with the regular season so close. Players will not be tackled to the ground in any of the workouts. The Texans were the Broncos' opponent when Miller suffered his injury last December.

Miller routinely defers to the team's medical staff on the timetable of his full return, but also makes clear his desire to get back into his usual role in the defense. At least some work against the Texans this week as well as Saturday night would smooth out some of the few remaining rough edges as the Broncos point toward the regular season next week and beyond.

"I just feel great out here in practice and that's where I'm going to keep it right now," Miller said. "Practicing against another team is always more intense. My teammates care about me. They (the Texans) may not care about me as much, so I don't know how that'll go, but [Broncos head trainer Steve Antonopulos] and everybody else, they have a great game plan for me."