An uncomfortable sensation filled Javon Walker's right knee as he landed awkwardly after making an end-zone reception Thursday morning.

For a moment, he didn't know what to think, especially given he'd had surgery twice before on the same leg after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in September 2005.

"It was kind of scary," Walker said. "I actually didn't know what was wrong."

A magnetic resonance imaging exam was performed to find out. The news apparently turned out to be the best-case scenario.

"From what I understand, some of the tissue and cartilage is still breaking away from the surgery, which is a good thing because the range of motion gets better in my knee," he said.

Walker sat out the afternoon practice, his first absence this summer. The receiver has looked fit and fast in previous workouts, offering proof the knee will come back stronger the second year, as his surgeon promised him it would in a follow-up visit this offseason.

"I plan on playing on Saturday," Walker said. "I'll be ready to go."

That prospect appears dim for two other Broncos who made the trip.

Defensive end Tim Crowder (left ankle) and offensive tackle Adam Meadows (right calf) were on crutches after getting hurt in the afternoon practice. A timetable for their return was unavailable Thursday night.

The Broncos are particularly thin at tackle.

Ryan Harris, the team's third-round draft pick, had back surgery and will miss four to six weeks. It's the second such procedure for Harris, who had a herniated disk repaired as a senior at Notre Dame.

Matt Lepsis is back practicing but has been bothered by a left groin strain and is being kept out of the second half of back-to-back practices after right knee surgery in November.

And backup Jacob Rogers didn't make the trip because of a right knee problem.

The situation prompted the Broncos to shift Chad Mustard to tackle from tight end Wednesday.

Before the injury, Meadows had taken his first snaps with the starters - outside a fill-in role - with other players resting during camp when he replaced Erik Pears at right tackle in the morning workout. Andrews was at left tackle in the afternoon, with Lepsis getting a rest when he went down.

Crowder has been running consistently with the second team at power end and also has been aligned with the starters as a tackle in the nickel pass rush .

Pretty nice, for starters

No one can say Chris Myers hasn't been patient.

A 2005 sixth-round draft pick out of the University of Miami, the offensive lineman has carved out a niche as a swing player in reserve at all three inside line spots. Still, he has yet to take a regular-season snap, other than on special teams.

But with center Tom Nalen often getting the back end of two-a-days off and Ben Hamilton out for all but a few snaps in one practice since Aug. 4, Myers has enjoyed the most action he has had as a pro against first-team competition this summer.

"I've just been sitting by, biding my time, waiting for my turn to come up," he said. "I've had a lot of fun with it, getting a lot of experience and these preseason games under my belt. We'll see what happens the rest of camp."

Myers wasn't forced into the competition for the starting job at right guard, with Montrae Holland and Chris Kuper battling it out there. And while he thought he might have a shot there, Myers maintained "there's no animosity."

Just the chance to go against starters every day has helped "tremendously," he contended. It's his chance to show off his skills and prove "that they didn't make a mistake drafting me."

Hamilton stayed home on this trip and instead is working out back at the Broncos' Dove Valley headquarters, so Myers likely will get the start Saturday night against the Cowboys at left guard.

Once Hamilton returns, Myers likely goes back to reserve status.

"If I'm the swing guy again, I don't mind," he said. "As long as I'm playing football and not sitting home in Miami."

Battling back

Tight end Tony Scheffler steadily has increased his on-field activity in the eight days since being activated from the physically able to perform list.

He even had one of the catches of the day, when he made a leaping two-handed snare in the end zone over Cowboys linebacker Kevin Burnett.

But Scheffler still is dealing with lingering issues stemming from the broken left foot he suffered during a May minicamp practice.

"Every day, it gets a little better, but I'm still not able to make some of the cuts I need to be out there playing," he said. "So it's frustrating. It's definitely frustrating. But slowly but surely, I think it will be ready."

Scheffler said his conditioning and endurance have returned, so that has been positive.

"It's a matter of working the soreness out and being able to accelerate off that foot," he said.

Daily highlights

• Quarterback Jay Cutler, who had some issues with tendinitis in his right wrist during camp, threw the ball with tremendous zip during seven-on-seven and team drills in the morning. He twice found receiver Brandon Marshall for scores and worked the middle on Scheffler's catch and another completion to Nate Jackson.

• D.D. Lewis ran with the first team at strong-side linebacker. He and Nate Webster continue to alternate, and the winner of the battle should be decided by the third preseason game.

• Broncos defensive backs had a rough time in the seven-on-seven morning period, with cornerback Champ Bailey beaten by Terrell Owens on a deep curl for a score on the most noteworthy play. But the entire defense came back strong in the team period and forced three takeaways. Nick Ferguson got one interception on a deflection off Owens and Ian Gold ran another pick back all the way. A fumble by Dallas running back Jackie Battle was kicked forward and recovered by cornerback Jeff Shoate for another long runback.

• Shoate's interception stymied Dallas in the move-the-ball period at the end of the second session.

Numbers game

10 players on the Broncos roster hail from Texas. The group includes Sam Adams, Tim Crowder, Montrae Holland, T.J. Hollowell, Matt Lepsis, D.D. Lewis, Quincy Morgan, Jarvis Moss, Paul Smith and Selvin Young.

Injury report

• Wide receiver Brandon Stokley (left thigh) continued to do on-field conditioning work in the morning and afternoon under supervision but did not practice.

• Defensive tackle Demetrin Veal (right calf) missed practice after getting hurt in the morning session Wednesday.

• Running back Andre Hall (right hamstring) was a late scratch, missing both sessions.

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