Report: All Broncos QBs ruled out amid COVID-19 concerns

Field Level Media
29 Nov 2020, 09:55 GMT+10

The Denver Broncos will face an unprecedented situation on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints after all three of the teams' remaining quarterbacks were ruled out for the game because of COVID-19 concerns, according to a report from ESPN on Saturday night.

The quarterbacks -- Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Blake Bortles -- each were removed before the start of Saturday's practice because of contact tracing involving fellow quarterback Jeff Driskel, who tested positive for the coronavirus earlier in the week. None of the other three quarterbacks was wearing a mask at the time of exposure to Driskel, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.

The Broncos (4-6) are scheduled to host the Saints (8-2) on Sunday afternoon. No change to the game's status has been announced.

Running back Royce Freeman serves as the Broncos' emergency quarterback, according to KUSA-TV in Denver. The Broncos also could rely upon running backs Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay in the wildcat formation.

The network reported that Broncos offensive quality control coach Rob Calabrese ran the offense during practice Saturday. Calabrese played quarterback at Central Florida and could be an out-of-the-box option to join the Broncos' active roster as an emergency signal-caller.

Lock has started eight games this season, completing 55.6 percent of his passes for 1,767 yards with seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Driskel and Rypien made one start each.

Bortles is on the Broncos' practice squad. He has thrown for 103 touchdowns and 75 interceptions in six NFL seasons.

--Field Level Media

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Denver Sun.

More Information

31 ℉

Cloudy in Aurora/Buckley Afb

International

Section

Thousands of armed National Guard troops patrol U.S. capital

WASHINGTON, DC - Washington is locked down and U.S. law enforcement officials are geared up for pro-Trump marches in all ...

Trump administration makes major military strategic shift for Israel

WASHINGTON, DC - In a sign of the changing political environment in the Middle East, the United States military will ...

Execution on Saturday possible last Federal execution in United States

WASHINGTON, DC - Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump's administration carried out its last federal execution when Dustin John Higgs, convicted ...

Undercover Chinese survey ship intercepted in Indonesian waters

A Chinese government survey ship was intercepted "running dark" without broadcasting its position via AIS (Automated Identification System) by Indonesian ...

Former firefighter accused of throwing fire extinguisher at Capitol

WASHINGTON, DC The man who struck down three U.S. Capitol Police officers with a fire extinguisher during last week's storming ...

72 players under strict quarantine ahead of Australian Open

The number of players under a strict quarantine ahead of the Australian Open has grown to 72 after another person ...

Colorado

Section