Broncos Reportedly Wanted Coach Rob Calabrese to Start at QB; NFL Denied Request

The NFL reportedly denied a request by the Denver Broncos to sign offensive quality control coach Rob Calabrese to their active roster for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Broncos felt Calabrese would have given them their best chance to field a quarterback who is ready to play Sunday. Practice squad receiver Kendall Hinton, who served as a backup quarterback at Wake Forest, is expected to start under center now that the Broncos are without an eligible quarterback on their roster.

Calabrese played quarterback and wide receiver at UCF from 2008 to 2012. He threw 254 collegiate passes, recording 1,276 yards and 12 touchdowns against seven interceptions.

Hinton threw for 1,504 yards and eight touchdowns against seven picks during his career at Wake Forest. While he has the more recent experience at the position, his knowledge of the playbook in comparison to Calabrese is understandably lacking.

The NFL reportedly does not want to set a precedent of players being stashed on coaching staffs, so they denied the Broncos' request. Denver also attempted to have the league push back Sunday's game to Tuesday, but that request was denied. 

Schefter's report says the Broncos feel the NFL is being "unreasonable."

Signal-callers Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Blake Bortles are ineligible to play on account of their close contact with a COVID-19 positive person. Backup quarterback Jeff Driskel is currently on the reserve/COVID-19 list. 

It is believed the quarterbacks interacted with Driskel while not wearing a mask, a violation of league policy.