The Cleveland Browns picked up a nice boost on the defensive side of the ball on Wednesday, as impact players Scott Fujita and Sheldon Brown each returned to practice according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Fujita, who recently had his three-game suspension overturned, practiced for the first time since being banned from team facilities by the NFL for his role in the New Orleans Saints bounty program. The veteran Brown was removed from Sunday's game against Philadelphia after suffering a shoulder stinger, but is desperate for a Week 2 return in order to start his 162nd career game as a pro.

On a day when a pair of vital cogs each came back on the field, The Plain Dealer's Tom Reed reports that the team was forced to practice without the services of linebackers Ray Ventrone and James-Michael Johnson. Johnson was originally expected to miss up to four weeks with an oblique injury, but could ultimately be eased into action after the ruling to reinstate Fujita.

Head over to Dawgs By Nature for more Browns coverage, and be sure to visit SB Nation's NFL hub for more news and analysis from around the league.