CB Champ Bailey Back in Full Pads at Practice for Broncos

Dec 6, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Rod Streater (80, right) is tackled by Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey (24) during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Broncos defeated the Raiders 26-13. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

As you may have seen in the Broncos’ most recent injury report, all 53 players were on the field for Thursday’s practice, and only three of them were limited.

Cornerback Champ Bailey has missed the team’s first two games, but that streak appears to be coming to an end as Bailey–one of the limited–was back at practice in pads and should be ready to go for Monday night’s matchup against the Oakland Raiders.

According to John Fox, Bailey has been making great progress with his injury, and in a week where the Broncos had to put All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady on injured reserve, it’s a huge relief to see everyone else back out on the practice field.

It’s especially a relief to have Champ Bailey back. The Broncos’ defense has got along just fine without Bailey, but adding him to an already stellar secondary is going to be huge. It will allow the Broncos to send more DB blitzes, and most importantly will make them even more stingy on the back end.

Denver leads the league in passes broken up and they are coming off of a game where they picked off Eli Manning four times. With Bailey and the boys out on the field, Oakland quarterback Terrelle Pryor is going to have his hands full trying to get anything through the air.