There was good news out of Dove Valley, as two impact players made their return to practice.

#Broncos TE Julius Thomas and CB Aqib Talib both appear to be practicing Wednesday after missing #Chiefs game Sunday. — MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) December 3, 2014

Talib even practiced fully, a definite good sign as the Denver Broncos began preparations for the Buffalo Bills Wednesday.

But karma's a five-letter word, and where there were improvements in the Broncos' injury report, there were demotions as well.

Demaryius Thomas "got stepped on" in practice & was limited with an ankle problem, Fox said. Wes Welker didn't practice per "team decision." — Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 3, 2014

Crap.

No, really. Crap. Having both of your touchdown leaders hampered by respective ankle injuries does not bode well. There isn't a trickier, more annoying, more nagging injury for a receiver on the human body than the ankle.

How serious is DT's injury?

We don't know. Maybe it's nothing (it was just "stepped on", after all). It just happened today (a Broncos source confirmed this injury happened in practice), and no one in the media saw it. Update: Thomas was seen limping after practice, according to both CBS and ESPN.

We don't even know if DT stayed in practice - "limited" tells us next to nothing. As long as Demaryius participated in practice at all today, he would be listed as limited, even if he left practice for the locker room and did not return. It could be an injury similar to Julius', where he'll miss at least a few weeks.

Like I said - crap.

We'll be watching his participation status closely over the next few days.

Other statuses of note: cornerback Kayvon Webster and safety Quinton Carter did not participate with shoulder and knee injuries respectively, while tight end Jacob Tamme missed practice with a rib injury. Center Will Montgomery (knee) was limited. Welker was excused from practice for veteran rest, according to ESPN.

Injury Report

Denver Broncos

Player Pos. Injury Wed. Participation Thur. Participation Fri. Participation Game Status Ball, Montee RB Groin DNP Hillman, Ronnie RB Foot DNP McCray, Lerentee LB Illness DNP Tamme, Jacob TE Ribs DNP Webster, Kayvon CB Shoulder DNP Welker, Wes WR Non-Injury DNP Carter, Quinton S Knee DNP Montgomery, Will C Knee LIMITED Thomas, Demaryius WR Ankle LIMITED Thomas, Julius TE Ankle LIMITED Anderson, C.J. RB Ankle FULL Cornick, Paul T Shoulder FULL Talib, Aqib CB Hamstring FULL Thompson, Juwan RB Knee FULL

Buffalo Bills

Player Pos. Injury Wed. Participation Thur. Participation Fri. Participation Game Status Glenn, Cordy T Illness DNP Gragg, Chris TE Knee DNP Williams, Kyle DT Illness DNP Wynn, Jarius DE Knee DNP Carpenter, Dan K Right Groin LIMITED Dareus, Marcell DT Hip LIMITED Hogan, Chris WR Hamstring LIMITED Rambo, Bacarri S Hamstring LIMITED Watkins, Sammy WR Hip LIMITED Woods, Robert WR Ankle LIMITED

BOLD-Indicates change in status

STATUS DEFINITIONS:

Out - player definitely will not play

Doubtful - at least 75% chance player will not play

Questionable - 50-50 chance player will not play

Probable - virtual certainty player will be available for normal duty