ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Quinn Bailey, the Broncos’ most versatile backup offensive lineman, suffered a fractured right ankle Wednesday during training camp practice that appears to be season-ending.
The injury occurred as Bailey was blocking during a live 9-on-7 running drill on a warm July 31 morning at Broncos Park. It appeared to be gruesome in nature as the players were immediately told to retreat. Bailey’s right leg was immobilized in an air cast by a team of Broncos’ medical personnel. He then had to be dead-weight lifted onto the cart and taken to the ambulance that is parked just off the fields at every practice.
Almost all his Broncos teammates dropped to one knee at a distance as Bailey was receiving medical attention on the practice field. Many players, including all the offensive linemen, came over to wish the veteran encouragement before he was carted off the field.
Payton said of Bailey’s fractured ankle, “That was definitely apparent. I’m not sure of the timeline relative to surgery but that’s always tough to see and be a part of when you’re at a practice. It’s one of the sometimes bitter realities of our game. He was having a real good camp.”
Bailey, 28, was signed by the Broncos in 2019 as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona State. Only Garett Bolles, Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton have more team seniority than Bailey. While Bolles has been a starter since the first game of 2017, Bailey spent his first 3 ½ seasons mostly on the Broncos’ practice squad.
However, his rare ability to play four offensive line positions – both tackle and guard spots – eventually led to his playing 8 games in 2022 with one start and all 17 games with one start last year.
One of the more likeable players in Broncos' locker room because of his quiet, unassuming nature, Bailey probably would have made the Broncos’ season-opening roster again this year as a backup lineman.
"We were just discussing the roster the other day and he was easily lineman 6,'' Payton said, in reference to the eight to 10 offensive linemen who make up a 53-man roster. "Someone who was going to be in the gameplan and jumbo (packages)."
It would now be a surprise if Bailey didn’t land on season-ending injured reserve.
“It’s devastating,’’ Broncos’ tight end Greg Dulcich said. “You can only pray for him and the kind of guy that he is, he’s going to attack the rehab and make sure he’s doing everything.’’
After Bailey’s injury, the practice went on, as it always does, and must. Payton addressed his team on the Bailey injury after practice.
“The hard part is not the injury itself,’’ Payton said. “The hard part is the next eight months where as a player you’re sitting in that trainer’s room and you recognize that everything just keeps going. That happened to me in 2011 – as a coach rarely does it happen. … It can be somewhat lonely, the recovery process. But he’ll have the support of everyone here. Again, difficult for those guys to see and fortunately we were able to reduce it and get him in.’’
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