Team to Take the Field Without Any of Its Quarterbacks

The Denver Broncos will have a new look in Sunday's game, but not because they want to. COVID-19 issues have knocked out all of the team's quarterbacks. Somebody will have to take the snaps when the Broncos are on offense, but it won't be an actual, trained quarterback. Backup Jeff Driskel tested positive for the coronavirus, ProFootballTalk reports, and the other quarterbacks can't play because they've been in close contact with Driskel—without wearing masks. So they can't even be in uniform for the game against the New Orleans Saints. Because this happened late in the week, the Broncos didn't have time to add an actual quarterback to the team.

The Broncos asked the NFL if one of their assistants could suit up, per ProFootballTalk. The league said no. That leaves the team with its emergency quarterback, running back Royce Freeman, or Kendall Hinton, a receiver assigned to the practice squad who played quarterback in college. The Broncos could forfeit the game but said they won't, per ESPN. The team said the three quarterbacks who were exposed—Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, and Blake Bortles—have not shown symptoms of COVID-19 and have been told to isolate at home. The Broncos have a retired quarterback in the general manager's office who was pretty good, but John Elway isn't allowed to play, either. (With all of an NHL team's goalies out, a Zamboni driver stepped onto the ice.)