Brandon Marshall Pulls a Kaepernick in NFL Kickoff Game

Ladies and gentlemen, meet your first regular season National Anthem protester ... Brandon Marshall of the Broncos.

The Super Bowl champs' star linebacker followed Colin Kaepernick's lead and took a knee during the Star Spangled Banner Thursday night in Denver during the league's kickoff game.

The Broncos almost immediately released a statement, saying ... “While we encourage members of our organization to stand during the National Anthem, we understand and respect it being a personal decision.”

As we've reported ... Kaepernick's movement has been spreading.