Broncos’ Troy Franklin expects to make rookie debut vs. Steelers

Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin told The Denver Post that he’s expecting to make his rookie debut in the home opener against Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Franklin was inactive in last week’s loss against Seattle. But with fellow rookie wideout Devaughn Vele officially ruled out due to a rib injury, which kept him out of practice this week, the former Oregon pass catcher is the next man up.

“I’m looking forward to my first NFL game,” Franklin told The Post. “I’ve been waiting for my opportunity, and I’m finally getting it.”

Franklin — a fourth-round pick in April — had an up-and-down training camp. He struggled with drops and adjusting to an NFL playbook. It’s unclear how many snaps he will play, but his speed and ability to generate yards after the catch could be useful for the Broncos.

Franklin said he had a good week of practice and hopes it translates against Pittsburgh.

“I was locked in, making sure all my routes were clean, and did not have too many redos,” Franklin said. “I made some plays out there.”

Outside of Vele, everyone else is a full go for Denver’s Week 2 matchup, including starting left tackle Garett Bolles (ankle), wide receiver Josh Reynolds (Achilles), and center Luke Wattenberg (ankle), all of whom missed practice on Wednesday. The trio were full participants in Friday’s practice after being limited on Thursday.

In Pittsburgh, quarterback Russell Wilson (calf) is listed as questionable, and he will likely be the emergency third quarterback while backup Justin Fields makes his second straight start.

Welch jumps in: Kristian Welch is apparently a good test-taker.

The Broncos inside linebacker spent his first week with the club in final exam mode.

Then the former Packer went out and not only played extensive special teams reps but got 19 defensive snaps, too. That made him Denver’s third inside linebacker with a workload not far behind Cody Barton’s 24 snaps at Seattle.

All of that despite only having arrived in Denver less than two weeks before the Broncos’ opener.

“It was a chaotic week,” Welch said after finishing with two defensive tackles and one special teams stop. “… Honestly, my wife and kid weren’t even here yet, so if I wasn’t in the building with a coach or working out or practicing, I was at the hotel just looking at the playbook, flashcards, writing stuff down. Anything I could do just to get stuff to stick.”

Welch got a good look at the Broncos during camp when he and Green Bay came to Denver for joint practice and then a preseason game. A couple of weeks later, he got cut by the Packers and signed by Denver.

“Honestly, it’s not the whole reason but it’s probably a portion of the reason I made the decision, too,” Welch said of the August trip. “When I was with Green Bay, (Denver) kicked our can in practice and then kicked our can in the game. Individually I felt like I played well, but team-wise. I definitely respected Sean and kind of how they went about their business while we were here at practice.