Burnett, Adams, Lang return to practice

The Green Bay Packers had multiple key starters return to practice Wednesday, a sign their roster could get a boost for Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers.

Safety Morgan Burnett (calf), receiver Davante Adams (ankle) and right guard T.J. Lang (knee) all practiced Wednesday. Rookie inside linebacker Jake Ryan (hamstring) also returned to practice.

Lang was knocked out of Sunday’s game with a knee injury. Burnett has missed four of the team’s first five games, while Adams has missed the past two.

With safety Sean Richardson (neck) being placed on season-ending injured reserve, defensive tackle B.J. Raji (groin) and outside linebacker Nick Perry (shoulder) were the only two players on the Packers’ 53-man roster who did not practice Wednesday.

Coach Mike McCarthy said before practice that several players would participate in the team’s “pre-practice” portion, and adjustments would be made. McCarthy also said Perry was the furthest from returning to the field.

The Packers could be tempted to shut down players this week with the team’s bye looming after Sunday, but McCarthy said that won’t be a factor into any playing-time decisions.

“My philosophy is that if they're healthy, they play,” McCarthy said. “If they're not healthy, then they shouldn't play. How do you define health? I'm not going to get into that. It's an NFL season. After the first game everybody has been through how many car wrecks? What these guys do for a living is so unique. So no one is 100 percent, and won't be for some time. That's not the goal. But if you're healthy enough, they play. That's always been our status.”

rwood@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ByRyanWood