With Drew Lock looking like he’ll return to the field this weekend, the Broncos have moved on from one of their other quarterbacks. Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post reports (via Twitter) that the team is releasing Blake Bortles. The team has signed practice squad defensive lineman Sylvester Williams to take his spot.
Following five trick-or-treat seasons with the Jaguars, the 2014 third-overall pick had to settle for a backup gig with the Rams last season. He saw time in three games behind Jared Goff, completing one of his two pass attempts. Bortles sat in free agency for the entire offseason, but he eventually got a contract from the Broncos following Lock’s injury in Week 2.
With the 23-year-old appearing to be recovered from his rotator cuff strain, the Broncos apparently so no use for the 28-year-old Bortles. The team will instead move forward with Brett Rypien or Jeff Driskel as the backup quarterbacks.
Williams, a first-round pick by the Broncos back in 2013, reunited with his old team earlier this month when he inked a practice squad deal. The 31-year-old appeared in five games for the Chargers last season, compiling five tackles.
The Broncos have made a few other moves to their roster. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the team has promoted running back Jeremy Cox and linebacker Josh Watson to their active roster. Cox, a former standout at Old Dominion, will serve as the third running back with Melvin Gordon on the shelf. Watson joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State in 2019. He’s appeared in nine career games for Denver, collecting a pair of tackles.
What?! I just bought my new Bortles jersey!
Well you can place it next to your Tim Tebow jersey in the closet
Then write a nasty-gram to John Elway
Bye Blake, we hardly knew ya.
I really don’t understand why they don’t keep him over Driskill, who is in the words of Bill Walton, Hoooorrrrible..
Jason from the Good Place HAS to be distraught over the fall of his hero.
I wonder how he feels about Minshew. I bet he could grow a Minshew stache
The marginal players like Blake use to be able to reach out to the XFL when they needed a life preserver but now they don’t even have that option.
Bortles signed a million dollar contract, which seems cheap for someone with his experience.
It seems pretty telling that he couldn’t beat out the stiffs that Denver has as their current back-ups.
I live in Jacksonville, FL. Until UCF went to the bowl game in Atlanta, I never heard of Bortles. But a 6’4″, strong armed QB, had 1 good bowl game, makes them a top 10 pick. name’em Mitch T, Blake, Sam Darnold, Rosen, Dan Jones et al.
When your GM wants his scouts to take in ‘measurements’ more so than his accomplishments, be ready to accept losing.
I completely agree with your last statement JJ. To me the scouting combine in Indianapolis is the ultimate “measurements” farce with idiots running around with their calipers, tape measures and stop watches.