The Denver Broncos were back on the practice field on Wednesday as they prepare for a short turnaround ahead of Saturday’s primetime showdown with the Detroit Lions. Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson could see one of his key offensive weapons return in the near future.

Broncos tight end Greg Dulcich returns to practice

During Wednesday’s practice, Broncos tight end Greg Dulcich was spotted back on the field dressed out. Dulcich is currently on his second injured reserve stint of the year after re-aggravating a hamstring injury in Denver’s Week 6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Prior to that, Dulcich injured his hamstring in Denver’s Week 1 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Last month, Broncos head coach Sean Payton told us that he expected to see Dulcich return before the end of the season.

On Wednesday, the team announced that they have designated Dulcich to return from IR. His 21-day window has officially began and his practice status for Wednesday saw him participate fully.

There’s a chance he could play against the Lions on Sunday, but the Broncos will continue to see how he progresses throughout the week. Whenever the team decides to activate him to the 53-man roster, they’ll have to make a subsequent roster move in order to make room for the personnel change.

With Denver in a prime position to make the post-season, Russell Wilson and the offense could benefit from Dulcich’s size and athleticism in the passing game. So much of what Payton had hoped to do with Dulcich this season hasn’t been able to come to fruition due to his injuries, but with Denver catching fire at the right time, the Broncos second-year tight end could be the missing wrinkle the offense needs to take the next step.