What a wild and wacky world it is.
2020 continues to confound as all four Denver Broncos quarterbacks have been disqualified for tomorrow’s game against the New Orleans Saints.
All the QBs on the Broncos' roster are ineligible to play Sunday against the Saints after being deemed high-risk, close contacts, sources tell ESPN.
None were wearing masks at the time of exposure, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 28, 2020
That’s a massive blow to Denver’s offense, right when they needed Drew Lock to continue to grow and improve down the stretch.
So, who’s the Broncos’ emergency quarterback? Practice squad receiver Kendall Hinton.
Hinton played quarterback at Wake Forest for his first four seasons in college before transitioning to slot receiver last year. In 2017, his second sophomore season, Hinton played quarterback in five games. In that limited action, he went 27-of-47 (57.4 percent) for 399 yards and four touchdowns. He also utilized his speed as a dual-threat guy, running 46 times for 190 yards (4.1 YPC) and one score.
“He’s really good,” the Wake Forest defensive coordinator said on Cody Roark’s Locked on Broncos podcast. “He was a really good quarterback and then they moved him to slot…every game he got better.”
Hinton was originally signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in April but was then waived in September. He signed to Denver’s practice squad on Nov. 4 and will get his first NFL action not at receiver, but QB for the orange and blue tomorrow.
It’s unknown how much of the offense the Broncos will have available, but it seems almost certain they will be extremely limited. Even if Hinton does know some plays from Pat Shurmur’s offense, they’ll likely be from the perspective of the slot receiver.
In all likelihood, Denver will have to run the ball with reckless abandon tomorrow while probably mixing in some wildcat plays and a few short throws as well. Luckily the Broncos went wild on the ground last week in their win over the Miami Dolphins.
The Broncos utilized a power running game to perfection, allowing Garett Bolles and Dalton Risner to pull to the right and kick out would-be tacklers. Both Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay went for over 80 yards and Gordon scored twice; Denver’s 189 rushing yards were the most on the year.
Still, all eyes will be on No. 2, Kendall Hinton. He’s 6’ tall and weighs in at 195 pounds.
