ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Running back Mike Boone could soon make his return to game action.

The Broncos have designated Boone for return from injured reserve, the team announced Wednesday.

Boone is now eligible to practice with the team, but he has not yet returned to the active roster. The team can activate him at any point during the next three weeks, and he is eligible to play this weekend against the Ravens if the team chooses to bring him up to the active roster.

If the team does not activate Boone within three weeks, he will revert to injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

Boone suffered a quad injury in mid-August during joint practices against the Vikings, and he has not practiced since that time. He was placed on IR following the Broncos' 53-man roster cutdown, which made him eligible to return this season.

"We haven't seen him in a while, since that day in Minnesota, so we'll see how he looks today," Head Coach Vic Fangio said before practice of Boone's progress. "It's hard to answer."

The fourth-year player has rushed for 379 yards and four touchdowns during his career, and he was a key special teams contributor during his time in Minnesota. Fangio said Wednesday that he hopes Boone can again be a leader on special teams when he returns.

"Hopefully he can," Fangio said. "He's played special teams in his past, and it's one of the reasons we were excited to sign him."