ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos canceled on-field work Wednesday when a practice squad player was added to the COVID-19/reserve list 24 hours after general manager John Elway and team president Joe Ellis tested positive for the coronavirus.
KUSA-TV in Denver reported the infected player is offensive lineman Darrin Paulo, a rookie from the University of Utah.
Last week, offensive line coach Mike Munchak and starting right guard Graham Glasgow were placed under the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
The Broncos (3-4), who visit the Atlanta Falcons (2-6) this weekend, now have two players, three assistant coaches, two team executives and multiple staffers at team headquarters who have had to quarantine in recent weeks because coronavirus infections or exposure.
“In consultation with the NFL, we are taking the precautionary step of conducting today’s game preparations virtually and away from UCHealth Training Center,” the team said in a statement. “With the recent increase in positive cases and a practice squad player added to the COVID-19/reserve list today, this was the safe and responsible thing to do.”
The Broncos had been planning a walkthrough Wednesday. Other than players coming in for treatment, all football activities were instead taking place remotely with players and coaches conducting their normal meetings via videoconference from their homes.
The Broncos said they plan to resume normal practice on Thursday, but the meetings would remain virtual.
Coach Vic Fangio gave his team both Monday and Tuesday off following its 31-30 come-from-behind win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
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