Broncos Update Russell Wilson's Status for Cardinals Matchup

The Denver Broncos have a unique quarterback situation entering Week 15.

Despite star quarterback Russell Wilson passing the NFL's concussion protocol, the Denver Broncos made the decision to sit him out for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Given how Wilson was wobbling feet after suffering his concussion during the narrow defeat last week against the Kansas City Chiefs — giving him another week of recovery time makes sense. Head coach Nathaniel Hackett has remained consistent all season long in stressing player health and safety. 

Wilson's backup, Brett Rypien, will now take over the reins for a contest that has no bearing on the playoff picture. You might wager that if the Broncos' fixture vs. the Cardinals had more serious competitive implications, Denver's chief decision-makers might have had a much more tricky judgment call on their hands.

Coach Hackett broke the news on Friday to reporters and took the opportunity to reiterate that protecting their star asset was the driving force behind the move.

“Russell Wilson has passed the concussion protocol," Hackett said. "With that being said, as an organization, we’ve decided to give him another week to get ready so he’s ready to go for the Los Angeles Rams. Russ is one of our ultimate competitors in this game. He’s unbelievable.”

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Just when Wilson was finding a semblance of rhythm in the offense, it must sting to have to miss Week 15's action. Hackett admitted that Wilson's competitive fires were not happy to be temporarily dampened, but that's to be expected of a proven winner.

"We informed him of the decision; he's not happy with it," Hackett explained. "He wants to be out there and play. He's very, very competitive, as we all know and wants to compete for this team and be out there. And we as an organization after discussing and talking throughout this entire week have decided it's best for our organization. It's best for Russell. We talked about this from top all the way to the bottom. So we looked at every single thing and just wanted to give him another week to get ready."

NFL teams are proceeding ever more cautiously around the concussion protocol this year, especially after Miami Dolphins quarterback re-entered a game on September 29 after clearly being knocked out. While Wilson was predictably keen to play, the approach taken by the Broncos' top brass reflects their star quarterback’s high profile — not to mention the substantial investment they have attached to him.

Wilson appeared calm and largely reflective when asked about being held out of this weekend’s matchup in Arizona.

"It was a collective decision. ... They wanted me to get some extra rest," Wilson said.

Russell Wilson on team decision to not play him. #9sports pic.twitter.com/xX1ytbwqjr

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) December 16, 2022

On Christmas day, the Broncos will visit the Los Angeles Rams with a well-rested Wilson back under center. Clearly, as the Broncos attempt to salvage some pride and build something tangible for next season, they will continue to take only very conservative well, thought-out risks with their veteran signal-caller.

Wide receivers Courtland Sutton (hamstring) and Kendall Hinton (hamstring) will also miss Week 15. Rypien will have Jerry Jeudy as the No. 1 receiver. 

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