ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --Things are looking up for cornerback Tracy Porter, who has been fully cleared by the team's medical staff to return to the field.
Suffering from symptoms of an August seizure, Porter was a late scratch from the team's trip to San Diego in Week 6 and practiced just once - as a limited participant - leading up to the team's win against New Orleans last week, a game he also missed.
While Head Coach John Fox confirmed that Porter was cleared to do "everything," he remained a limited participant at Wednesday's practice as the coaching and training staff tries to ease him back into football mode.
"We're bringing him back," Fox said. "It's kind of day-to-day, sorting out, making sure the medication's taking effect. I think we had a good day today."
Porter, who recorded 21 tackles, six passes defensed an interception returned for a touchdown in the first five weeks of the season, said he is feeling as good as he's felt since he missed the San Diego game. He expressed patience in waiting to get back into the full swing of things until the coaches are sure he is ready.
"I'm starting to come back in my own again," Porter said. "I'm looking forward to being back out there, but the coaches are going to make their decision. They feel comfortable with the guys they have out there so I just have to await my opportunity."
Most importantly, the fifth-year cornerback trusts that the issues that sidelined him are completely in the past.
"The doctors took the necessary steps and ran all of the tests, so I have confidence in them that they made the right diagnosis," he said. "They gave me the right medicine that I need to take. I'm confident that it won't happen again."
Another good sign for Porter, he explained, is that his doctors found no cause of the seizure, which means it isn't an even more serious issue and isn't likely to repeat itself.
"Seizures are something where if it's not something really serious like a tumor or something like that, then they won't know what caused it," Porter said. "Thankfully, I don't have a tumor. It's not life-threatening. I'm on the right medication and I'm doing all of the things I need to do that the doctors advised me to do and we'll take it from there."
With only positive signs of late, the coaches, trainers, medical staff and Porter will all work together to determine the best course of action for the player. Coming off an extended period of absence, they will lean on the safer side and hope to have him back on Sunday against the Bengals.
The team is fortunate to have two cornerbacks behind him in Chris Harris and Tony Carter that have filled in adequately.
"It's a matter of me getting my conditioning back, getting my legs back under me to where I don't have any problem and I feel like my old self," Porter said. "It's just a matter of getting my feet back under me. If the coaches feel comfortable putting me out there on Sunday, I will. If not, we have the confidence in the three guys that have been doing it the last two weeks."
