Broncos add an emergency quarterback to the roster
The Denver Broncos added an emergency quarterback to the roster, signing former seventh-round pick Danny Etling to the practice squad.
The Denver Broncos are not about to have a Kendall Hinton 2.0 situation on their hands again.
With offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur out against the Eagles due to COVID protocols, as well as Drew Lock still on the COVID/reserve list, the team is protecting itself against the possibility that one or both of Teddy Bridgewater and Brett Rypien could test positive on Sunday.
The team has added former New England Patriots seventh-round pick Danny Etling to the practice squad.
Broncos add an emergency quarterback to the roster
Denver also officially signed QB Danny Etling to the practice squad, designated CB Duke Dawson Jr. as Practice Squad/Injured and placed OLB Pita Taumoepenu on the Practice Squad/COVID-19 list.
— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) November 13, 2021
Etling has bounced around the league a little bit since being drafted by the New England Patriots in 2018, spending some time with the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, and even the Minnesota Vikings this past offseason.
He is an intriguing athlete at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds who ran a 4.76 in the 40-yard dash in the 2018 offseason and showed above average metrics in every area among quarterbacks.
The big reason the Broncos signed Etling to the practice squad, though?
It’s not necessarily his long-term upside, but it’s the fact that they need someone in case Teddy Bridgewater and/or Brett Rypien have a positive COVID test on Sunday as the team’s list of players on the COVID/reserve list continues to grow, unfortunately.
Last season, the Broncos infamously had one quarterback — backup Jeff Driskel — test positive for COVID and all of the other QBs on the roster at the time (Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, and Blake Bortles) were considered close contacts in the QB meeting room with him.
They all were forced to miss the team’s game against the Saints last season and practice squad receiver Kendall Hinton wound up starting the game.
Hinton is now making plays as a receiver, where the Broncos intended him to make plays, and Hinton is obviously not the team’s first choice if they need an emergency QB again. It will be Etling in case of emergency against the Eagles.