Denver's one-week, no-quarterback experience appears to be finished.
Broncos quarterbacks Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Blake Bortles all had Monday's PCR tests come back negative, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported, per a source informed of the situation. Barring any positive tests going forward, the three will be allowed to practice when the team reconvenes at its facility Wednesday, per Pelissero.
The Broncos later announced that Lock, Rypien and Bortles had been activated off the team's reserve/COVID-19 list and will be eligible to play this weekend against the Kanas City Chiefs.
Backup quarterback Jeff Driskel was placed on the team's reserve/COVID-19 list last Thursday.
Broncos president and CEO Joe Elllis released a statement Tuesday stating that he recently met with general manager John Elway and head coach Vic Fangio to "outline" how the team can work to adhere to COVID-19 protocols over the final month of the season.
Due to close contacts, Denver was forced to elevate receiver Kendall Hinton from the practice squad to play in a game for which he had less than 72 hours to prepare. Predictably, things didn't go well, with Hinton completing 1 of 9 passes for 13 yards, but the Broncos should be closer to normal this week if they can get their three quarterbacks back on the active roster.
More than 20 players who have been isolated as high-risk close contacts -- despite having initially tested negative with no symptoms -- this season have later tested positive for the virus, per Pelissero, which necessitated this portion of the league's COVID-19 protocol.
