Denver Broncos general manager John Elway confirmed during his media availability Saturday that quarterback Drew Lock (thumb) and tight end Jake Butt (knee) will begin the 2019 season on injured reserve. Elway also said that running back Theo Riddick (shoulder) will “probably” also go on IR.
If Denver had placed those players on IR before submitting a 53-man roster, they would have been ruled out for the entire season. Because they made the initial 53-man roster, though, Lock, Butt and Riddick will be eligible to return to the active roster after eight weeks.
NFL teams are allowed to promote just two players from IR during the season, so the Broncos will have some tough decisions to make.
“We don’t know if someone else [will also get] hurt early — they can go on,” Elway said. “So, there’s a lot that goes into it. To say [which one of them for certain is] not coming back, we can’t say that, but nothing is for sure. We’ll just have to see how things go.”
Elway said Lock is facing a six-to-eight week recovery. That leaves Joe Flacco as the only QB on the active roster.
“We’ll just see what happens,” Elway said of the team’s QB options. “Obviously, the wire is going to come out in about three or four hours, so we’ll see what’s there. We are exploring all options at this point in time.”
