ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Safety Su'a Cravens (knee soreness) suffered a setback last week as he aimed to return to the practice field, but Head Coach Vance Joseph said Monday that Cravens is getting better.

"We're being smart with him," Joseph said. "He had a setback about a week ago, but he's actually getting better after this weekend, so we'll see. His next step is to get back to the practice field before he plays in games. So we'll see, but it's getting better."

Cravens has not practiced since July 31.

Cravens, who is in his first year with Denver after two seasons with Washington, will need to return to the field at some point for Joseph and the Broncos to make a true evaluation on the player they traded for this offseason.

"He's a guy that joined us in the spring," Joseph said. "He hasn't been with us. The position he plays is the dime [linebacker] spot. It's a critical spot for us, so absolutely he has to play eventually so we can see what we've got in him."

The Broncos' injury concerns at safety were at least partially quelled Monday when Will Parks, who left Saturday's game against the Bears with a knee contusion, participated in practice.