Well, Brandon Marshall is back at practice, and he does not appear to be wearing pajama pants.

In all seriousness, this is a huge boost for the Denver Broncos, who also welcomed quarterbacks Kyle Orton and Chris Simms, running back Knowshon Moreno, and wide receiver Jabar Gaffney back to practice on Tuesday.

Head coach Josh McDaniels offered only a single word when asked about the attitude of Marshall—”Great.”

He also offered a one-word response when asked if Marshall would be ready to contribute on Sunday, saying, “Absolutely.”

It would appear as though Marshall and the Broncos have put their situation behind them for the time being. McDaniels seems to think so anyway.

“I have talked to him more than once,” McDaniels said. “We are looking forward to moving past this, and he’s out there practicing hard. That’s what we’re looking for.”

This is a huge boost for the Broncos. 

If Marshall is physically ready, he is an imposer of fear on the football field. He has been called “The Beast” and a “Whirling Dervish” for a reason. The dude can play some ball, and the Broncos realize that they have a much better chance of winning with him on the field.

“I think he is a good football player. If he is ready to go and we go through this week of practice and we feel like that’s the direction we should play on Sunday, then certainly we all know what he can do as a football player,” said McDaniels. “It is a matter of getting acclimated to enough of the game plan and him understanding what’s going on, but we’ll see as we go through the week.”

Marshall’s presence on the field will surely be a boost for whichever quarterback lines up under center for the Broncos on Sunday. The team is not guaranteeing Orton will be ready, but all systems appear to be “go” for the quarterback who suffered a very disturbing injury two weeks ago to his pointer finger.

“Obviously, there is a little bit of restriction for a quarterback when you’ve got something on your hand,” McDaniels said, “but for the most part, everything was clean. Hopefully, everybody that was out there today will be ready to go on Sunday.”

Virtually the same response was given by McDaniels when asked if rookie tailback Moreno would be available for the Cincinnati game.

“He is getting better every day, doing everything he can do to be ready to go on Sunday. He was in there today and worked in and out of the drills today and some of the team periods, too. He is not totally there yet, but he is getting better every day. Hopefully, we will have him ready to go on Sunday.”

It will be a huge development for Denver if they can begin the season with the roster we all anticipated at the outset of training camp, and Moreno is certainly part of that group.

It was also nice to see wide receiver Gaffney at practice despite his broken thumb. If you are unable to believe that someone could return to catching passes after suffering a broken thumb this quickly, here is proof.

The team is also very excited about Vonnie Holliday, a veteran defensive lineman who was brought in for a visit back in March.

According to McDaniels, “Vonnie has got some familiarity with the system that we run. We had him in earlier in the year. He was coming off of a little bit of a cleanup in terms of a little procedure and wasn’t quite ready to do a workout and all that kind of stuff.

“We brought him back in, stayed in touch, and I think it worked out for the best for everybody. He is excited to be here. We are excited to have him. I think he can help improve our depth on the defensive line. He has obviously played that position. He has got some knowledge about how to play it, and I think that is helpful for some of our younger players, too.”

Check back tomorrow evening for my preview of the Broncos-Bengals game.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Sponsored Links

Buy Denver Broncos Tickets, NFL Tickets, Football Tickets and Sports Tickets at StubPass.com.

BroncosZone Latest

• The Denver Broncos Must Face Their New Reality
• Denver Broncos: The Beginning of a New Era, Or The Beginning of the End?
• Hey Denver, Where’s the Love for Josh McDaniels?
• Josh McDaniels Is the Poster Boy for “Too Much, Too Soon”
• Denver Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall: “I Love Being a Bronco”