Cleveland Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme is testing his right ankle again in practice and will start Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons if it responds favorably to the extra workload.
Browns coach Eric Mangini said Wednesday that Delhomme and backup Seneca Wallace, who has started the past three games, would split reps in practice. Mangini also said Delhomme's situation is work, wait and see.
"I would say that's the approach that we are going with," Mangini said. "However, we have to go through today with more reps. It will be more reps today than it was last week. So, then, how he wakes up tomorrow and what that looks like will give us a better idea if he is ready to go or if we are just a step closer."
Delhomme, signed by the Browns to a two-year contract in March, has been inactive in Cleveland's last three games after badly spraining his right ankle during a season-opening loss Sept. 12 at Tampa Bay. He returned to practice last Thursday on a limited basis, but his injury didn't improve enough for him to play in last weekend's victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Delhomme seemed more mobile during the 30 minutes of practice open to reporters Wednesday.
"His ability to function is at his normal level -- his ability to move, to go through all the normal mechanics of playing QB ...," Mangini said. "You are really just looking at his normal operation at this point to what it was and what things bother him, what things don't bother him and get a gauge as the week goes on. If (he can't), you play Seneca."
Delhomme's familiarity with the Falcons -- he played them twice a year during most of his seven-year tenure with the Carolina Panthers, who released him in March -- would be helpful this week, Mangini acknowledged.
"There are some positives there, but things have changed, too," Mangini said. "Over any year to year you get some changes, but it definitely helps to have familiarity with the personnel. He starts at maybe a higher point (than) maybe a lot of us who haven't seen them twice a year."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
