All Broncos QBs Are Ineligible vs. Saints

The Denver Broncos will be quarterback-less Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. All four quarterbacks on the Denver roster have been ruled ineligible after coming in “High-Risk close contact” with QB Jeff Driskel, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. Denver QBs Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, and Blake Bortles were in close contact with Driskel and not wearing masks, resulting in all three’s ineligibility for Sunday’s game. 

Despite not having a QB on the roster who could suit up for the team tomorrow, the Broncos will not be forfeiting according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and the Saints plan to proceed as if the two teams will hit the gridiron as scheduled. 

Early indications are that former Wake Forest QB and current practice squad WR Kendall Hinton will start for the Broncos tomorrow against the Saints. Hinton spent three years of the college athletics career playing QB for the Demon Deacons. The Durham, NC native threw for 1,504 yards, 8 TDs and 7 INTs before he made the transition to WR prior to his senior year. During his final year at Wake, he hauled in 73 receptions for 1,004 yards and 4 TDs. Hinton has yet to appear in a regular season game for Denver in 2020. 

Saints head coach Sean Payton spoke about the importance of having a third quarterback on the roster in a COVID-ridden 2020 earlier this week after the team signed former Broncos QB Trevor Siemian. 

“And with everything that’s going on right now, the ability for us to have a 3rd quarterback trained and ready in the event, someone got COVID-19, or something else happened. We just felt strongly that that was something we needed to do.”

Sean Payton on the importance of having another QB in 2020

New Orleans’ team plane will arrive later this evening in Denver, CO. The team will immediately transport to their Denver hotel after landing while their equipment heads to the stadium. Amid Denver’s quarterback shortage, sporting betting books have pulled the contest. The NFL still plans to play the game as scheduled.

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