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DENVER – All four quarterbacks of the Denver Broncos are not eligible to play for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Quarterbacks Drew Lock, Blake Bortles and Brett Rypien have all been named as “high-risk” contacts of quarterback Jeff Driskel, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, Schefter reported.
The Broncos won’t lose the game, Schefter reported – meaning the team will go with an emergency quarterback.
Lock, Bortles and Rypien were removed from practice on Saturday after concerns arose over contact tracing before they were declared ineligible, according to multiple reports. Schefter reported that the trio were considered “high-risk close contacts” because they did not wear face coverings when in close proximity to Driskel.
After receiving Driskel’s positive test result on Thursday, the NFL cleared Lock, Bortles and Rypien to train Thursday and Friday, according to Denver coach Vic Fangio.
Fangio said earlier this week that Lock, Bortles and Rypien were just “minimum quantities” around Driskel. Fangio said on Saturday that the four quarters are more than six feet apart during meetings and added that “all of our meetings are held where everyone is dispersed.”
The Broncos could choose a number of options for their emergency quarterback, including practice team wide receiver Kendall Hinton or running back Royce Freeman.
Hinton was a starting quarterback at Wake Forest for three seasons, completing 133 of 251 passes for 1,504 yards. Freeman did not attempt a pass in an NFL game, although he completed a freshman pass to Oregon for a 26-yard touchdown.
Rookie Receiver Jerry Jeudy threw his hat in the ring on Twitter, saying he needed to “get my Lamar Jackson up.”
The person who won’t be eligible to play quarterback for the Broncos, according to reports, is offensive quality control coach Rob Calabrese. Calabrese played quarterback at UCF from 2008-2012, totaling 1,276 yards and 12 touchdowns.
This story will be updated.
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