Who Is Kendall Hinton? Undrafted Rookie Applauded On Social Media After Lackluster Debut

Kendall Hinton, an undrafted free agent, played quarterback for the Denver Broncos Sunday after the team had a COVID scare which sidelined the team's quarterbacks.

After quarterback Jeff Driskel tested positive for the virus, the rest of the team's quarterbacks were deemed high-risk and placed on the reserve/COVID list.

Broncos quarterbacks Blake Bortles, Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, and Driskel watched game film for two hours on Tuesday before Driskel tested positive. Each player disclosed that they were not wearing masks during the incident and that they were sitting in close proximity to each other, The New York Times reported.

This was the first NFL game Hinton played all season.

"When I got the call, it was pure excitement. Of course, there was nerves and disbelief," Hinton told reporters. "Coming in, I knew I had no idea of what the speed of the game was like…We knew it would be a tough situation, for sure."

Hinton previously played wide receiver and quarterback at Wake Forest University. He was on the Broncos practice squad up until this weekend.

Hinton finished the game with only 13 passing yards and two interceptions. Even with a lackluster debut, coaches and players around the league applauded Hinton for playing on short notice.

Vic Fangio, the Broncos head coach, thanked Hinton for his services on Twitter.

“Thank you, Kendall Hinton, for playing QB in a game that never should have happened. You took a beating that you didn't deserve and tried your best when every circumstance was against you. You did great and #BroncosCountry thanks you!”

As the Broncos lost 31-3 to the New Orleans Saints, Fangio was frustrated with his quarterbacks and was disappointed that they put the team in an unprecedented situation.

"I was disappointed on a couple levels: that our quarterbacks put us in this position, that our quarterbacks put the league in that position. We count on them to be the leaders of the team, the leaders of the offense, and those guys made a mistake, and that is disappointing," Fangio told reporters. "Obviously, I haven't done a good enough job of selling the protocols to them when they're on their own ... There was a failing there, and that's disappointing."

Cameron Jordan, the Saints defensive end, tweeted out after the game, "Helluva situation to be in... No shade at all... RESPECT." Jordan was referring to the situation Hinton was placed in on such short notice.

Broncos safety Kareem Jackson couldn’t understand why the league didn’t postpone the game and suggested that the NFL was using the Broncos as an example.

"I feel like maybe [the game] could have been moved, but at the same time, maybe the league was making an example of us as far as maybe not doing the things we needed to do in that particular room, that quarterback room," Jackson said.

"Obviously, the guys didn't follow their protocols, and for [the NFL] to see that, I guess they felt like they had to make an example, so at the end of [the] day, it is what it is."