With Drew Lock out, Broncos reportedly are signing quarterback Blake Bortles
Sunday was a brutal day in the NFL as a number of star players suffered major injuries.
The Broncos were hit hard, losing receiver Courtland Sutton for the season after hurting his knee, while quarterback Drew Lock is out multiple weeks, the team announced Monday.
ESPN reported Lock, the former Mizzou and Lee’s Summit High star, will miss three to five weeks after suffering a severe strain of the rotator cuff in his right (throwing) shoulder.
Jeff Driskel took over for Lock in Sunday’s game at Pittsburgh, and Brett Rypien is on the practice squad. So the Broncos are looking to add another quarterback to the roster, former Jaguars signal-caller Blake Bortles.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted the news on Tuesday morning:
Bortles appeared in three games last year for the Rams, completing one of two passes for 3 yards. From 2014-18, Bortles was a starter for Jacksonville and had a 24-49 record. He threw for 17,649 yards, 103 touchdowns and 75 interceptions.
In the 2017 playoffs, Bortles threw three touchdowns and no interceptions in three games as the Jaguars advanced to the AFC Championship Game.
Don’t look for Bortles to make an instant impact.
Coach Vic Fangio said the COVID-19 precautions make it impossible to have someone join the team in a timely fashion.
“That’s the one thing about these (testing) protocols that we have found out the hard way here,” Fangio said on the team’s website. “Even if we were to bring a guy in today, they’re not going to be eligible to come and partake in meetings or practice until Friday or Saturday because they have to pass so many days of tests before they’re allowed in the building. That’s one of the downsides of this that us and other clubs are feeling.”
This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 9:54 AM with the headline "With Drew Lock out, Broncos reportedly are signing quarterback Blake Bortles."
