Broncos could be getting a secret weapon back on offense soon

The Denver Broncos could be getting a secret weapon for the offense back into the lineup soon. Running back Mike Boone is eligible to come off of IR.

The Denver Broncos have lost a couple of key offensive weapons to injury in the first three weeks of the NFL’s young regular season in 2021. Wide receivers Jerry Jeudy (ankle) and KJ Hamler (knee) have both gone down with injuries that will cause them to miss significant time, but the team could soon be getting back at least one secret weapon on that side of the ball from the injury list.

That secret weapon is none other than running back Mike Boone, one of the team’s more underrated 2021 free agent acquisitions.

The Broncos signed Boone after George Paton was hired as the team’s general manager. Paton knew Boone from their time together with the Minnesota Vikings.

It was certainly overshadowed at the moment because of the fact that in order to sign Boone, the Denver Broncos had to move on from one of the team’s more beloved players, Phillip Lindsay.

Denver Broncos may have a secret weapon in Mike Boone

The departure of Phillip Lindsay certainly left a bad taste in the mouths of fans initially. Lindsay had been one of the only consistent sources of offensive productivity for the team since he came on board in the 2018 season.

Lindsay was a hometown kid who defied the odds and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, something no other undrafted running back has ever done.

His production from 2018-20 slowly declined, however, and injuries started to pile up a little bit. Teams started understanding when Lindsay was on the field that the Denver Broncos were most likely going to run the ball. That predictability limited Lindsay’s ability to produce as a featured runner in some ways, though he disagreed with the team’s inability to include him in the passing attack.

Enter Mike Boone, a fellow undrafted free agent from the 2018 class, whose success in the NFL up to this point has been much less noteworthy, at least compared to Lindsay’s.

Boone cut his teeth on special teams. He played 482 special teams snaps in three seasons with the Vikings and got a few chances to shine offensively.

On 78 touches, he has 407 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns.

The Broncos brought Boone into the fold with the idea that he would not only play special teams, but also that he could provide a dynamic change of pace at the running back position with his outstanding speed and explosive traits.

As we have touched on with a wide variety of acquisitions made by George Paton, Boone is very much on-brand in terms of his athletic metrics.

A 4.44 is nothing to scoff at and frankly, nobody on the roster at the running back position has that kind of juice.

Melvin Gordon once ran a 4.52 and he blew us all away with his speed on a 70-yard sprint in New York back in week one, but Boone’s speed is different.

Boone suffered a quad injury on August 12 with an estimated recovery time of 4-6 weeks. He was placed on IR after the initial roster cuts which meant he was mandated to sit three games at a minimum.

It’s now been 6.5 weeks since Boone’s 4-6 week recovery timeline, and he’s eligible to come off of IR against the Baltimore Ravens.

It would be outstanding to get the chance to see him play sooner rather than later, even if his contributions are limited to a handful of offensive touches and maybe some kickoff return duties.

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With the recent losses of Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler, Boone’s speed would be a welcomed inclusion in the team’s gameplan on Sunday afternoon.