FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots receiver Wes Welker returned to full-pads practice for the first since injuring his left knee, drawing a cheer from the thousands of spectators on hand as he walked up the steps to the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium.

Welker, wearing a black brace over his left knee, went through individual drills and appeared to be running at full speed. But when the Patriots went to full-team 11-on-11 work, both defensively and on special teams, Welker worked on the opposite field with members of the strength and training staff. So he did not absorb any contact this morning.

In individual and agility drills, Welker ran a variety of routes, worked on getting off the jam at the line of scrimmage and zigzagged through orange cones before catching the football.

At one point, he sprinted about 8 yards, stopped quickly, cut to his left, before shifting direction to the opposite side to catch a pass.

Welker answered questions from reporters after the practice and said he does not yet feel 100 percent.

"We're not there yet, but every day we're getting a little closer," he said. "Slowly but surely, we're making progress."