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As Rocky Mountain News staffer Lee Rasizer initially reported it, Javon Walker was unexpectedly given medical clearance to run routes in individual and team drills Thursday at the Broncos' mini-camp.

Walker did not go one on one against defenders. But his participation, even in a reduced capacity, is the clearest sign yet his rehabilitation from torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered last September is on target.

According to Denver Post staff writer Adrian Dater, Walker was just about able to match his fellow Broncos receivers on the practice field Thursday.

In other words, Dater suggests it was an encouraging start for the former Pro Bowl on the first day of mini-camp. After missing most of 2005 with a torn ACL in his right knee, Walker went through a full practice with his new teammates and emerged with a smile on his face.

"Just to get out there and run routes and do everything at the same pace as everybody else, it felt pretty good," said Walker, who signed a six-year, $40 million contract with Denver this offseason.

According to Rasizer, the receiver said there are some plants he has yet to make on his leg that he'll need to make in the coming weeks but that he's feeling mentally strong.

"This is the first step in getting my confidence back," he said. "Obviously, I've never had the injury. But running and cutting and not even thinking about it is a step to really being ready for training camp."

Rasizer added that Walker plans to keep a similar workload for the next two days. Then he'll continue strengthening exercises and running routes in an effort to be "full go" in pads by two-a-days.

As Walker previously had promised, he wasn't wearing a knee brace.

"I still have another gear that I can get to, but as long as I'm still keeping up pace and running the same speed as everybody else and still having the same timing with the quarterbacks" as other receivers, he's satisfied for now, Walker said.

A much smaller concern is working his way back up the depth chart after all his time off the field.

With Walker still somewhat limited and Ashley Lelie absent (and threatening to hold out until well into the season), Rod Smith and Darius Watts were the first pairing during Thursday's first practices followed by David Terrell and Charlie Adams. Walker and David Kircus worked as the third pair.

"Maybe they might play me. I'm not sure," Walker joked of the task at hand. "I might be on the practice squad."

Head coach Mike Shanahan liked what he saw of Walker, but cautioned against expecting too much, too soon.

"He's kind of biting at the bit, but we don't want to put him in a position where he's competing against other players right now, because he'll probably push himself a little too hard at this stage," Shanahan told Dater. "But we've got a few weeks before we get started, and he's exactly where we hoped he'd be."

In a related note. ... Terrell was said to be making a strong push during off-season workout sessions, but Shanahan was more effusive in his praise of Watts after the completion of Denver's last mini-camp.

Walker will be the starter opposite Smith if healthy, while Watts, Terrell, Adams, Kircus and rookie Brandon Marshall will compete for snaps behind them.

In yet another related note. ... As expected, Lelie was the Broncos' only no-show, and Shanahan said the disgruntled receiver will be fined.

The collective-bargaining agreement allows the team to assess an $11,641 penalty.

Shanahan told Rasizer he believes Lelie is receiving "some bad advice" and the player's wish to be traded "would be different if people were beating down the walls to get him."

"But they're not," he added.

In case you missed it. ... Lelie doesn't believe that, with Smith's presence and the acquisition of Walker for a second-round pick, he'll be afforded a fair opportunity to compete and that he has too much pride and ability to settle for being a third receiving option.

As Shanahan suggested, if Lelie truly wants to be a No. 1 receiver, he should be on hand for this mini-camp.

"If you want to compete to be the No. 1 guy, why not be here? Why not be here in camp?" the coach asked. "If you're afraid of competing against a No. 1 guy who's 35 years old (in Smith)? "I don't think you're going to find a better scenario than what he has here. ..."

Shanahan wouldn't rule out the possibility of Lelie returning, but said he hasn't spoken with the receiver recently "because he won't return my phone calls."

According to Post columnist Mark Kiszla, Smith recently tried to telephone Lelie.

Sadly, Lelie also failed to return the call from his older -- and much wiser -- teammate.

"So when I see him, I'm going to smack him," Smith said. ...

In other notes of interest out of Denver's first practice. ... Veteran Cecil Sapp apparently has worked his way into the mix as a candidate to start at fullback, taking first-team repetitions over Kyle Johnson.

"Cecil is a worker," Shanahan told DenverBroncos.com staffer Andrew Mason. "He is a guy that I feel is talented enough to be the starting fullback or tailback -- he is that type of athlete."

Sapp was running with the first team offense as the lead blocker for Ron Dayne.

While Dayne has been expected to line up as "option 1A" to Tatum Bell's "option 1B" for quite some time now -- at least to open camp, Sapp competing with Johnson was less expected.

In other backfield-related news. ... Dater advised readers this morning that if Cedric Cobbs is a running back looking to fulfill untapped potential. He is wearing the right uniform for such a quest.

If not the next Terrell Davis, Cobbs is hoping to become the latest in a long succession of unheralded runners who found success playing in Shanahan's system.

"If you come day-in, day-out and work your butt off and do everything they want you to do, then you definitely have a great chance of making the ball team here," Cobbs said Thursday. "If you listen to them, then you will definitely become a better player. Here, you'll get your chance. I feel fortunate to come here and learn a lot more than I knew when I came to the NFL."

Cobbs spent last season on the Broncos' practice squad, but entered mini-camp listed third on the depth chart, behind Ron Dayne and Tatum Bell. Once touted by ESPN The Magazine as the next Bo Jackson, Cobbs has struggled to get his NFL career off the ground since coming out of Arkansas in 2003. He enters mini-camp healthy, hopeful it will stay that way, and eager to prove he can play at the highest level.

And health has been an issue.

Still, Shanahan wasted little time signing Cobbs when New England cut him after a pair of injury-marred campaigns.

The coach indicated he believes Cobbs has what it takes to be a successful reclamation project. "Cedric is a guy that we felt very highly of coming out of Arkansas. We liked his running style," Shanahan said. "We felt very fortunate to get him on our football team when he was released. Now, he's competing for the starting jobs. ..."

For the benefit of those still looking to gain some insight into the Dayne-Bell competition, that's no typo; Shanahan said "starting jobs" -- plural.

While I'm not convinced that Cobbs is really going to push either man for snaps, experience tells me to rule out nothing when it comes to Shanahan and the Broncos' backfield.

I will continue to advise careful observation while reminding you that early predictions regarding Denver's backfield rotation tend to fall short in the end. ...

And finally. ... As the Sports Xchange recently noted, the Broncos focused on their offense in the draft. Quarterback Jay Cutler was the team's first-round pick. He's not expected to play this year as he sits and learns behind Jake Plummer, but he could take over as soon as 2007.

The Xchange went on to suggest the rookie who will be asked to contribute right away is tight end Tony Scheffler, a second-round pick.

Denver released tight end Jeb Putzier, the team's third leading receiver last year, and then lost tight ends Wesley Duke and Landon Trusty to knee injuries in the offseason.

There's not much depth behind starter Stephen Alexander and the Broncos hope Scheffler can play a huge role right away.