The Broncos saw some injured players return to health over the weekend, but the injury list remained long as more players were held out of practice.

Starting right tackle Orlando Franklin left practice after suffering a left hip injury. He was on the ground for several minutes after going down in a drill. Franklin was helped up, but limped off the field under his own power.

The Broncos’ tight-end situation looked slightly better as second-string tight end Jacob Tamme returned to practice, but he was limited and didn’t participate in team drills. The team’s top tight end, Joel Dreessen, was scheduled to undergo a knee scope Monday and is expected to be out 3-4 weeks.

Linebacker Nate Irving and wide receiver Greg Orton were not on the field Monday. Irving missed practice for personal reasons, and Orton had a right ankle injury. Orton is in contention for the fifth wide-receiver spot.

Running back Jeremiah Johnson was out with a left toe injury.

On the positive side, defensive tackle Sylvester Williams returned to practice after missing most of last week with a knee injury.

Safety Quinton Carter and defensive end Quanterus Smith were also back to practicing with the team, although Carter remained limited with a knee injury. Defensive end Derek Wolfe returned after missing Friday with an illness.

Quarterback Peyton Manning took some snaps with newly-signed center Ryan Lilja during positional drills, but Manny Ramirez returned to the position when the offense began team drills.

The Broncos returned to Dove Valley for the first time since Friday after scrimmaging at Sports Authority Field on Saturday night then taking the day off Sunday.

The defense again looked sharp in red-zone drills, with the secondary swatting away several Manning passes.

“We’re starting to understand the scheme, just get used to playing with each other,” cornerback Tony Carter said. “We’re communicating a lot better. It’s gelling.”

The team released its initial depth chart on Sunday, with Ronnie Hillman listed as the top running back and Ramirez as the No. 1 center. As usual, both Hillman and rookie Montee Ball took reps with Manning on Monday.

“I’ve most definitely seen (the depth chart), but I think that’s right, because Ronnie’s done a great job this camp,” Ball said. “He most definitely deserves it right now, but I’m going to try to take it.”

The team will practice Tuesday from 8:50 to 11:30 a.m. and have an evening walkthrough before flying to San Francisco for the Broncos’ first preseason game against the 49ers on Thursday.

Caitlin Swieca: 303-954-1297, cswieca@denverpost.com