ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --It was a merry Christmas for the Broncos on the injury report.
Cornerback Kayvon Webster, wide receiver Wes Welker and defensive end Derek Wolfe all returned to practice Wednesday afternoon. All three were limited participants in the session.
"You want to get all your players back, whether its Champ – it was great to have him back last week – Derek Wolfe, Wes," quarterback Peyton Manning said. "Any player that has been injured, you love to get him back around this time."
Wolfe has missed the past four games after suffering from seizure-like symptoms as the team was preparing to travel to Kansas City in Week 13.
"He's just in the process of getting back into it," Head Coach John Fox said. "Football is a unique game in that you can try to simulate different things in the weight room and different areas, but until you get out here and start running around playing, it's not quite the same. So he's back out there. We've got everything under control. Now it's just a matter of him getting back into football shape."
Welker suffered a concussion in the team's Week 14 win against the Tennessee Titans, and Wednesday marked his first day back at practice.
"I think just getting back out there, running around, being with his teammates, getting his timing back – all those types of things," Fox said of Welker's participation. "He's still in the steps of the concussion protocol and we're taking it day-to-day. It was good to see him out there."
As for Webster, the rookie cornerback fractured his thumb on Thursday Night Football against the San Diego Chargers in Week 15. He missed last week's win in Houston after undergoing surgery, and was wearing a cast on his right hand as he ran through drills Wednesday.
"He's day-to-day," Fox said. "He's out there, he's running around, the rest of him is healthy. Just how he deals with it and then we'll make that decision as it gets closer to game time."
The positive injury news comes a day after the Broncos officially placed linebacker Von Miller on injured reserve with a torn ACL. Linebacker Brandon Marshall, who spent the first 16 weeks of the season on the team's practice squad, filled Miller's spot on the active roster.
"Obviously feel bad about losing Von and feel bad for Von, but this team has faced adversity all season and when some of your top players are down, whether it's Wes, everybody else has to step up," Manning said. "We've done that all year and we'll have to continue to have to do that again this week."
