In their Sunday loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, an already depleted Denver Broncos team lost star wide receiver Courtland Sutton and second-year quarterback Drew Lock.
Lock went down on the Broncos second drive when he was hit from behind by Steelers edge rusher Bud Dupree. The injury was initially believed to be a sprained AC joint, which would have kept Lock out two-to-six weeks, but following an MRI the team now believes Lock suffered an injury to his rotator cuff. He is still expected to miss somewhere between two and six weeks.
From NFL Now: The #Broncos won't have QB Drew Lock for at least 2 weeks with a rotator cuff strain and they won't have promising WR Courtland Sutton (ACL) for the season. pic.twitter.com/2U7Xf4I77V
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 21, 2020
While Lock is out of the Broncos’ lineup, Jeff Driskel will start in his place while Brett Rypien is expected to be elevated from the practice squad to become the backup. Driskel has a career record of 1-7 as a starter, but he’s never had such a talented supporting cast surrounding him.
That supporting cast will be a little less talented though without Sutton who suffered a brutal injury that saw him tear both his MCL and ACL. Sutton will miss the rest of the season and should have a long rehab as he attempts to recover from such a devastating injury, but he should be ready for the start of the 2021 season.
With Sutton out, rookie receivers Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler will be asked to step up. Fortunately for the Broncos, both young pass catchers have looked more than ready to do just that through two games this season. The Broncos also have Tim Patrick and DaeSean Hamilton, who have looked fine so far; and Tyrie Cleveland, who didn’t play in Week 2 but was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded offensive Bronco in Week 1.
Noah Fant should also help make up for the loss of Sutton, as he’s been an incredible weapon for the passing game and the Broncos’ best player early in the season.