It wasn’t Santa Claus with a sleigh filled with goodies, but the Broncos did have some very welcome faces at practice on Wednesday.
Joan Niesen of the Denver Post reports that wide receiver Wes Welker participated in practice for the first time since suffering a concussion against the Titans on December 8th. It’s unclear whether he’ll play in the season finale against the Raiders, but getting back on the practice field is a good sign about his progress through the league’s concussion protocol.
Defensive end Derek Wolfe also returned to practice for the Broncos, marking his first time back on the field since he fell ill on the team bus on the way to the airport to travel to Kansas City in November. Cornerback Kayvon Webster completed the trio of Christmas returnees as he made it back to the field after breaking his thumb two weeks ago. He hopes to play this week with a cast on his right hand.
The release of the Broncos practice report will reveal how much work they did on Wednesday, although it’s a good bet that they’ll be limited. Whatever they could do, having them back now should help make sure they’re ready to go when the playoffs roll around.