Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ed Donatell will miss Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers while following COVID-19 protocols, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Donatell self-reported feeling sick Saturday and stayed home. Though he felt better Sunday, he will remain away from the team as a safety precaution.

Head coach Vic Fangio will call defensive plays Sunday.

The Broncos canceled practice Friday after guard Graham Glasgow tested positive for COVID-19, while two other players were told to isolate after coming into contact with him, per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.

Running backs coach Curtis Modkins also tested positive for the virus in early October.

Donatell is in his second season as the Broncos defensive coordinator but has a lot of experience working with Fangio.

The 63-year-old coached the defensive secondary from 2015-2018 with the Chicago Bears and 2011-2014 with the San Francisco 49ers, all of which were with Fangio working as the defensive coordinator.

Fangio will now have more work to do against the Chargers and rookie quarterback Justin Herbert on Sunday in an important divisional battle between 2-4 teams.

Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon publicly apologized for his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence earlier this month. 

"I am sorry that I was even in the situation," Gordon told reporters. "I don't want people to think because I didn't say anything that I don't care. That's not the case at all."

According to TMZ Sports, Denver police registered Gordon driving 36 mph over the speed limit on the morning of Oct. 14. Upon pulling the 27-year-old over, police said in their report his "speech was slurred, breath had a moderate odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage, balance was swaying, eyes were watery."

Gordon wasn't formally taken into custody because COVID-19 protocols allow for DUI suspects to be released at the scene to a sober driver. The running back is facing two DUI charges and a violation for driving at least 25 mph over the speed limit, per TMZ.

9News' Mike Klis reported Gordon attended Broncos practice hours after his arrest but left after meeting with head coach Vic Fangio. Fangio confirmed he wanted the two-time Pro Bowler to go home.

"I didn't want him practicing today until we get to the bottom of everything," he told reporters at the time. "Talk to the league, get all the facts in order before we make a decision on what we're going to do and weigh the differences between what the mandated league punishment will be and any thing we want to do in addition to that."

Gordon has appeared in five games in his first season with the Broncos, running for 349 yards and four touchdowns.

Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay exited Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs with a concussion.

Lindsay was Denver's leading rusher prior to his departure, going for 79 yards on nine carries. His absence elevates Melvin Gordon III to the primary ball-carrier role.  

Lindsay battled turf toe earlier this year, which kept him out for three games. He returned in Week 6 and ran for 101 yards as Denver beat the New England Patriots 18-12. He almost certainly would've eclipsed the century mark again against the Chiefs were it not for the concussion.

Gordon is a two-time Pro Bowler and has been solid in his first season with the Broncos. He entered Sunday with 281 rushing yards and three touchdowns, and he ranked sixth among running backs in DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement), per Football Outsiders.

Still, one could argue Lindsay has outplayed Gordon, and the latter has had a glaring turnover problem.

The Broncos, who trail Kansas City 30-9 in the third quarter, are likely headed for their fourth defeat. Losing Lindsay in the process would make it a costly one.

Two days after his release, Blake Bortles has re-signed a contract with the Denver Broncos.  

The team announced Monday night that the former third-overall pick would join their practice squad, with the Broncos carrying three quarterbacks on their active roster in Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Jeff Driskel. 

After he initially joined the Broncos in September when the 23-year-old Lock was injured in Week 2, Bortles  never saw the field before he was released on Saturday. While Lock was sidelined, Driskel got the ball in Week 3 before Rypien, a rookie, got the ball against the Jets. 

Bortles, who was drafted by Jacksonville in 2014, was the Jaguars' starter for five seasons, leading them to the AFC Championship Game in 2017, before he settled into a backup role for the Los Angeles Chargers last season behind Jared Goff. On the West Coast, he saw time in three games and completed just one of two passes for three yards. 

His career in Jacksonville was up and down, with the Central Florida product leading the league in sacks (55) and yards lost on sacks (345) as a rookie and also pacing the league in takedowns in his second season with 51. That same season, he also had the league's longest pass on a 90-yarder. 

After an unsuccessful stint on the Broncos' active roster, it's unlikely that Bortles will get the call up again, much less see the field, this season. 

Denver Broncos tight end Noah Fant has been ruled out for Sunday's game vs. the New England Patriots, per ESPN's Field Yates. 

Fant suffered a sprained ankle in the third quarter of Denver's 37-28 win over the New York Jets in Week 4. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Oct. 3 he was "considered week-to-week." 

Injuries have decimated the Broncos offense. Pro Bowl receiver Courtland Sutton is out for the year after he tore his ACL in Week 2, and quarterback Drew Lock missed parts of three games with a shoulder injury suffered in that same contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Running back Melvin Gordon III (illness) has also been ruled out for Sunday's game, per Yates. 

Fant is one of the NFL's most promising young tight ends. He had 40 receptions for 562 yards as a rookie in 2019. The Iowa alum was leading the Broncos with 19 receptions and ranked second on the team with 219 yards through four games when he sprained his ankle. 

Until Fant comes back, the Broncos will likely turn to Nick Vannett as their primary tight end. 

Denver Broncos running backs coach Curtis Modkins won't travel with the team for Sunday's Week 6 road game against the New England Patriots after he tested positive for COVID-19.

The Broncos released a statement about the situation:

James Palmer of the NFL Network reported Modkins was "proactive" after being informed a family member tested positive and followed all of the league's coronavirus protocols.

The 49-year-old Texas native is in his third season coaching the Broncos' running backs. He's spent 26 years as an assistant at the collegiate and pro levels. His most prominent position was serving as the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator during the 2016 campaign.

Meanwhile, Broncos running back Melvin Gordon III also isn't traveling with the organization to face New England while being treated for strep throat, per ESPN's Jeff Legwold.

Denver head coach Vic Fangio said Friday that Gordon was being treated for an "illness totally unrelated with COVID."

The Broncos' clash with the Patriots was delayed from Week 5 to Week 6 because of coronavirus concerns. New England quarterback Cam Newton and cornerback Stephon Gilmore were among the players to land on the reserve/COVID-19 list. They've both returned to practice.

Both teams had their bye moved up to Week 5 to accommodate the postponement and are scheduled to play 12 consecutive weeks to finish the regular season on time Jan. 3.

The lack of flexibility would make it difficult for Sunday's game to get moved again, and it's an issue that could become more prominent for the NFL over the next few months as teams work through their byes.

For now, the Broncos and Patriots are still slated to kick off 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

The Denver Broncos reportedly released backup quarterback Blake Bortles on Saturday, according to Ryan O'Halloran of the Denver Post. 

The team is adding defensive lineman Sylvester Williams to the 53-man roster from the practice squad in a corresponding move. 

The Broncos signed Bortles on Sept. 24 after starter Drew Lock's shoulder was injured. Bortles served as the backup behind both Jeff Driskel (432 passing yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, 54.7 completion percentage) and Brett Rypien (295 passing yards, two touchdowns, four interceptions, 67.5 completion percentage). 

But with Lock expected to start Sunday vs. the New England Patriots, per Jeff Legwold of ESPN, the Broncos ran out of roster space for Bortles. 

"[Lock] is trending the right way," head coach Vic Fangio told reporters Friday.

As for what would determine whether Lock starts, Fangio said "just a conversation with him about where he's at, that's basically it."

And so Bortles is without a team yet again. The 28-year-old spent his first five seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars after being selected third in the 2014 draft, largely serving as the starter. But issues with consistency and accuracy (59.3 career completion percentage) largely plagued his time there. 

His best season came in 2015, when he threw for career highs in yards (4,428) and touchdowns (35) but also interceptions (18). And the Jags went to the postseason just once (2017) during his tenure. 

When the team signed Nick Foles before the 2019 season, the Jags waived Bortles. He spent last season serving as Jared Goff's backup on the Los Angeles Rams.

Phillip Lindsay will once again be the focal point of the Denver Broncos rushing attack after Melvin Gordon didn't travel with the team for its Week 6 game against the New England Patriots because of an illness, according to Mike Klis of 9News.

Denver's decision to sign Gordon was somewhat surprising since Lindsay eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first two seasons. The former Colorado star finished with 1,011 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging a respectable 4.5 yards per carry in 2019.

Because of his performance last year, Lindsay will already be rostered in the vast majority of standard fantasy leagues. The advice for those who have the 2018 Pro Bowler is relatively straightforward: He now goes from a flex option to a clear RB2/RB1 depending on who else you have at the position. However, Lindsay will be making his first appearance since Week 1, when he suffered a toe injury, and could be somewhat limited in his workload.

The fantasy outlook isn't so bright for Royce Freeman, a 2018 third-round pick who saw Lindsay leapfrog him in the depth chart as a rookie.

Freeman carried some hype coming out of Oregon, to the point some predicted him to make an immediate impact in Denver. That hasn't happened yet, and there's little reason to think Gordon's injury will change things.

Freeman is only worth a flier for RB-starved teams or fantasy managers in deeper leagues.

Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon reportedly will not play in Sunday's game against the New England Patriots because of an illness, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver.

Per ESPN's Jeff Legwold, Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said Gordon was sent home and did not practice Friday because of an illness not related to COVID-19.

The game between the Broncos and Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, was originally scheduled to be played last weekend, but with the Patriots having multiple positive COVID-19 tests, it was postponed until Week 6.

Both quarterback Cam Newton and cornerback Stephon Gilmore were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list for the Patriots in recent weeks, but both have since been activated and will be eligible to play Sunday.

There were some concerns regarding Sunday's game after the Patriots canceled their practice following another positive COVID-19 test Friday, but New England reopened its facility Saturday, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss.

In his first season with the Broncos, Gordon is off to a strong start. Through four games, he has rushed for 281 yards and three touchdowns while also catching 11 passes for 45 yards and one score.

The former Los Angeles Chargers star is a two-time Pro Bowler, but he is looking to reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark for only the second time in his six-year NFL career.

With Gordon out, Phillip Lindsay figures to take over as the starter Sunday. Lindsay has been out since suffering a toe injury in Week 1, but he is expected to play against New England, per Legwold.

Lindsay is among the best backups or complementary running backs in the game, as he rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two NFL seasons and was named a Pro Bowler as a rookie in 2018.

Third-year man Royce Freeman, who has rushed for 30 yards on nine carries this season, also figures to be part of the Broncos' rushing attack.

Legwold reported quarterback Drew Lock is expected to be in the lineup for Denver as well after missing two games with a shoulder injury.

Lock's presence should give the 1-3 Broncos a better chance to hang with the 2-2 Patriots on the road, but New England remains the favorite.

Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon III was charged with driving under the influence and received a ticket for speeding from the Denver Police Department on Tuesday night.

Mike Klis of 9News reported details from court and police documents Wednesday and noted Gordon's arraignment in Denver County Court is scheduled for Nov. 13.

"We are aware of the situation involving Melvin Gordon," the Broncos said in a statement. "Our organization has been in communication with him and is in the process of gathering more details."

Denver head coach Vic Fangio later commented on Gordon (via James Palmer of NFL Network):

The 27-year-old Wisconsin native signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Broncos in April.

He's coming off his best performance with the team, recording 23 carries for 107 yards (4.7 YPC) and two touchdowns in a 37-28 victory over the New York Jets in Week 4.

The team's bye was moved to Week 5 after its clash with the New England Patriots was postponed because of COVID-19 concerns. That game will now be played Sunday in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

"I have a lot more to show and I think I have a lot more to do yet to win Broncos Country over," Gordon told reporters after the Jets game. "But it's all good. I'm a worker. Hard work does pay off, and I put a lot of that in. I'll continue to work and keep turning heads."

Gordon previously earned two Pro Bowl selections in five years with the Los Angeles Chargers, who selected him in the first round of the 2015 draft.

He could face punishment under the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy pending the outcome of the case.

Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman would likely split snaps in the Denver backfield if Gordon misses time for any reason throughout the 2020 season.