The Denver Broncos hit the practice field on Wednesday as they begin on-field preparations for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain (ankle) and outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper (reinstated last week) returned to practice while safety Talanoa Hufanga (ankle), outside linebacker Jonah Elliss (lower leg) and running back Tyler Badie (thumb) are sidelined.

Surtain has missed the team's last two games, but returning to practice is a good step in the right direction. Hufanga is likely going to miss at least one more game after sitting out last week's contest. Jahdae Barron and Taylor Rapp have done a nice job stepping up in the secondary while PS2 and Hufanga have been sidelined.

Elliss limped off the field late in the fourth quarter of last Thursday's game, and he was spotted wearing a walking boot and using crutches at a Colorado-Utah game two days later. It looks like Elliss will be sidelined for a bit after he wrote "Be right back" on social media over the weekend.

Denver coach Sean Payton indicated Elliss avoided a season-ending injury, but he seemed to hint that Elliss could land on short-term injured reserve later this week. Meanwhile, Cooper is expected to return to the active roster this week after being reinstated by the NFL.

Badie injured his thumb in the second quarter of last Thursday's game, and he was ruled out just before halftime. Fellow running back Jonah Coleman (ankle) is eligible to return from injured reserve this week, and he returned to practice on Wednesday, opening his 21-day window to be activated to the 53-man roster.

Denver's scheduled to practice again on Thursday and Friday before releasing a final injury report with game statuses for Sunday.