"And on the next-to-last day of summer, key Broncos returned to practice. The official start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere is later than usual this year, with the autumnal equinox landing at 3:04 a.m. MDT on Friday.

The Broncos' training room didn't wait that long to fill up. There is some relief this week with the return of wide receiver Brandon Lloyd? (groin), tailback Knowshon Moreno? (hamstring), defensive end Elvis Dumervil? (shoulder) and linebacker D.J. Williams (elbow).

"We're still short a few, but it's good to have those guys back out there," coach John Fox said. "It's nice to be able to get through a practice. We've kind of struggled in the first couple weeks just getting enough guys to practice."

Not practicing Wednesday, and therefore not expected to play Sunday against the Titans in Nashville, Tenn.: cornerback Champ Bailey? (hamstring), defensive tackle Marcus Thomas (groin, pectoral muscle) and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas? (Achilles, broken finger). Wide receiver Eddie Royal? (groin) likely is out until after the Week 6 bye. Tight end Julius Thomas (ankle) is out at least until Game 5 against San Diego."