Running back Mike Boone will likely make his return to the field on Sunday. It’ll be his first time back in action since injuring his ankle in Week 7.

Boone’s reappearance will come at a time when the Denver Broncos desperately need it.

With the recent release of Melvin Gordon and the injury to Chase Edmonds, they were left with just Latavius Murray and Marlon Mack.

He was able to practice all week, which is a positive sign for his comeback from the IR. Boone will bring some much-needed depth to a struggling backfield if he plays.

Florida Beginnings

Boone grew up in Baker County, FL.

In high school, he was a three-sport letterman, which included football, basketball, and track.

In his senior year, he helped lead the Baker County High School team to a 7-3 record, catching 57 passes for 1,068 yards and 18 touchdowns. He set a school record with 211 receiving yards in a single game.

The summer before his senior year, Florida International University offered Boone a scholarship which he verbally committed to a week later. But over the following months, Boone was given scholarship offers from schools at the FCS level from all across the country.

He ultimately chose to attend the University of Cincinnati.

While at Cincinnati, Boone played in 39 games.

His best season came in his sophomore year when he recorded 749 yards on 104 carries and averaged 7.2 YPC. In that season, he also had a career-high nine rushing touchdowns.

He finished his collegiate career totaling 420 rushes for 2,250 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry with 24 touchdowns. On top of that, he had 65 receptions for 596 yards with one score.

Unfortunately, it was also plagued with injuries that overtook his narrative. He ultimately was not invited to the 2018 NFL Combine and went undrafted.

Undrafted to Final Roster

Despite going undrafted, Boone signed with the Minnesota Vikings as college free agent on April 30, 2018.

Boone had such an impressive training camp that he earned a spot on the final 53-man roster. Playing time was sparse during his first year, though, as he shared the backfield with Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. He finished his rookie year with appearances in eight games.

In his second NFL season, Boone’s playing time increased as Cook suffered a shoulder injury in Week 15. During that game, Boone rushed 13 times for 56 yards and two touchdowns, his first in the NFL. Boone finished the 2019 season with 273 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

In Week 4 of the 2020 season against the Houston Texans, Boone forced a fumble on punt returner Deandre Carter. The Vikings recovered the ball, leading to their 31–23 win. Boone was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.

Boone followed newly hired general manager George Paton when he signed a two-year contract with the Denver Broncos.

In 2021, he started the season on the IR due to a quad injury but was reactivated on October 16. He appeared in eight games.

History has repeated this season when he suffered an ankle injury in Week 7. But now, he’s back!

Currently, he has 15 carries for 82 yards and six receptions for 61 yards. Boone’s workload will likely increase once he is back to full strength and on the active roster. It couldn’t come at a better time for the struggling offense.

Denver (3-9) faces Baltimore (7-4) in Baltimore this Sunday, with an 11 a.m. MT kickoff.