Russell Wilson might miss his first game with the Broncos, setting up Brett Rypien for his second career start against the Jets.
Wilson is questionable with a hamstring injury he suffered in last week’s overtime loss to the Chargers. Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said it will be a game-time decision whether Wilson or Rypien gets the start Sunday at Empower Field.
“We just want to be sure that (Wilson) can protect himself,” Hackett said. “That’s the most important thing.”
Also in consideration is preserving Wilson’s health for the long-haul of the season, which is already an uphill climb due to Denver’s 2-4 start. After taking on the Jets, the Broncos travel to London to play the Jaguars, then have a bye in Week 9. Resting Wilson for one or both of those games would give the quarterback additional time to recover.
“Obviously we want to win the football game this week, and put ourselves in the best position to do that,” Hackett said. “We’ll do the right thing there. You’re always looking at what’s ahead, and we know we have a lot of football left… There’s a long season still to be had.”
Wilson and Rypien split first-team reps in practice this week, and Hackett said the veteran starter “looked good.” Wilson’s mobility was noticeably hindered during the media viewing portion of practice Thursday and Friday, as the quarterback took it easy and did not do most of the rollout/bootleg throws.
Over the course of Wilson’s 11-year career, he’s played through a slew of injuries and has started 164 out of 167 possible regular-season games. The only three games he missed came last year because of a finger injury that required surgery.
“He’s a grinder,” Hackett said. “He works hard, he’s tough. That’s who he is, he fights through everything.”
Considering Wilson’s track record, the quarterback will no doubt campaign to play Sunday. But if the Broncos coaches and medical staff deem him not healthy enough, Rypien says he’ll be ready for his moment.
In his first (and only) career start in 2020, Rypien led the Broncos to a 37-28 win over the Jets on the road. He was 19 of 31 for 242 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in a game he got to start as a third-stringer because Drew Lock was hurt and backup Jeff Driskel got benched. This year, the third-year pro out of Boise State won the backup job over Josh Johnson prior to the season.
“I’m keeping the same approach and same preparation as I always do,” Rypien said. “Really nothing’s changed for me, other than obviously getting more reps at practice. We’ll see come Sunday.
“I want to play, I want to get opportunities. If it does happen, great. If not, I’ll be there supporting Russ and supporting everybody else. As a backup I’m ready, not necessarily just to start, but that I’ll get into the game because it can happen at any moment. As you’ve seen around the league, there have been a lot of (starting QBs) hurt already.”
Wideout KJ Hamler believes that if Rypien has to play Sunday, the QB has the potential to elevate an offense that ranks last in the NFL with 15.2 points per game.
“I’ve played with Ryp before, in my rookie year (in 2020),” Hamler said. “He’s not afraid to sling it, and he’s a warrior too. He’s very (football) smart.”
Sunday’s injury statuses
In addition to Wilson, defensive tackle D.J. Jones (ankle), inside linebacker Josey Jewell (knee), right guard Quinn Meinerz (foot) and defensive lineman DeShawn Williams (back) are all questionable for Week 7. Cornerback/special teamer Essang Bassey (hamstring) is out, and safety Caden Sterns (hips) is doubtful.
If Jewell misses another game with his knee sprain, Alex Singleton will start at inside linebacker and wear the green dot as the play-relayer. If Meinerz can’t go, Graham Glasgow will play for him as he did earlier in the season, and Sterns’ injury could open the door for P.J. Locke to take over at dime back against New York.
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