Tim Tebow Plays Wide Receiver, Was Bored In Practice

Injuries during the preseason and the first two weeks of the season have left the Denver Broncos thin at a number of positions. That frailty was none more apparent than when wide receiver Eddie Royal suffered a groin injury early in the second quarter. This forced quarterback Tim Tebow to assume the slot receiver role, mostly appearing on third downs.

Tebow had taken some warmups before the game as a wide receiver and he even did it before last week's game. But why was he doing it each week? As ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports, the Broncos' coaching staff allowed him to keep active during practice in the week leading up to the game with the Raiders. He played receiver with the scout team and did it again this week because the coaching staff understood that injuries could force him into action.

This is a rather odd set of circumstances since the Broncos have Eron Riley on the practice squad. However, they would have had to clear a roster spot for him, forcing another position to be short a man. The Broncos did bring up running back Jeremiah Johnson from the practice squad, but that happened as a result of Ty Warren going on injured reserve.