Every quarterback on Broncos roster ruled ineligible for Week 12 after teammate Jeff Driskel tested for Covid

The Denver Broncos at the moment are confronted with arguably the hardest problem that the COVID-19 pandemic has positioned on an NFL team this season. On the eve of Denver’s Week 12 matchup with the New Orleans Saints, each quarterback on the roster has been dominated ineligible to play on Sunday after being deemed excessive threat, shut contacts, as confirmed by CBS Sports activities NFL Insider Jason La Canfora. On Thursday, quarterback Jeff Driskel was positioned on the reserve/COVID record as a result of a constructive take a look at.

Mike Klis of 9News stories that the Broncos pulled all three of their quarterbacks — Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, and Blake Bortles — from the observe subject on Saturday and have been despatched residence as a result of contact tracing issues. The NFL, per Klis, reviewed tape of Lock, Rypien and Bortles interacting with Driskel on Wednesday and that’s what sprung the choice to ship them residence and in the end rule them out for Week 12. Schefter provides that the trio of quarterbacks were not wearing masks. 

Regardless of not having a quarterback to go below middle on Sunday, the Broncos is not going to be forfeiting, per Schefter. As for what the following steps are at determining a plan at quarterback, Benjamin Allbright of KOA Colorado notes that receiver Kendall Hinton will play loads at quarterback on Sunday. Hinton performed some QB at Wake Forest and accomplished 53% of his passes for 1,504 yards passing, eight touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. Different choices embody third-string working again Royce Freeman, who’s the emergency quarterback for the Broncos. Denver may additionally run a Wildcat offense centered round Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon in the event that they so selected. 

Based on Klis, offensive high quality management coach Rob Calabrese ran the offense in observe on Saturday and did play quarterback at Central Flordia, however James Palmer of the NFL Network stories that he couldn’t be referred to as into motion as an emergency quarterback or something of the type. 

Whereas they’re going to actually be impacted probably the most in Week 12, the Broncos aren’t the one group coping with COVID-19 points at present because the NFL appears to be feeling the identical surge that’s hitting a lot of the nation. Their opponent within the New Orleans Saints needed to rule out star left sort out Terron Armstead due to a positive test that popped up on Saturday. In an try and curb extra constructive exams all through the league, the NFL had already despatched out a memo to groups that they would be halting in-person activities this coming Monday and Tuesday.