The surgically repaired right knee of Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown could get its first test Saturday night.

Coach Tony Sparano has previously said that he didn’t want to risk aggravating Brown’s knee early in the preseason, but today he said Brown might play in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Buccaneers.

“I think he has some excitement right now to be able to get into a game, and go through some of these things in game situations,” Sparano said. “The player knows his body certainly better than I do. But at the end of the process you’ve got to get the player as much work to feel you feel like he needs to be prepared when he gets out there in a game situation.”

Brown was off to a great start for a bad team last season, with 991 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns in the first seven games of 2007. But he tore his ACL on October 21 against the Patriots.

Is he ready to test it out less than 10 months later? Brown says he thinks there’s a chance.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been on the field in a game situation, so I’m excited to be out there and have an opportunity to play against another team,” Brown said. “We have to see how it feels come Saturday and call it from there.”