A month ago, Kendall Hinton was a salesman. On Saturday, he was an undrafted rookie practice squad wide receiver. And on Sunday, he was “QB1” for the Broncos. 

Hinton, who was elevated to the roster when all four of the Broncos’ quarterbacks went out for COVID-19 reasons, finished the game 1 of 9 for 13 yards and two interceptions. Predictably, the Broncos fell to the Saints 31-3. 

It was, as many expected, just too much to ask of the 23-year-old. 

“Coming in, I had no idea what the speed of the game was like,” Hinton said, having never played in an NFL game before Sunday. “I’m familiar with our concepts, but it’s a lot different from quarterback. Coming in, we knew it would be a tough situation for sure, but it was a challenge I was willing to take on.”

The Broncos were without starting quarterback Drew Lock, backup Brett Rypien, third-stringer Jeff Driskel and practice squad player Blake Bortles after Driskel tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and the other three were ruled ineligible as “high-risk close contacts” by the NFL. 

Coach Vic Fangio said Hinton “did everything he could” given the circumstances.

“He was excited for the opportunity,” Fangio said. “We had about a two, three, four-hour window to get him ready, which isn’t a lot obviously. He was excited for it. We were excited for him; his teammates were excited for him.

“That’s a big, big ask and it just didn’t work out.”

Hinton called it “the most eventful 24 hours” of his life. 

The North Carolina native has experience playing quarterback, playing the position at Southern High School in Durham, N.C. and at Wake Forest for four years before switching to wide receiver his fifth and final year.

But Hinton hadn’t thrown a pass in a competitive football game in 768 days and said he hadn’t been tackled in nearly two years. And only 27 days ago, he was selling fundraisers to high schools in North Carolina. 

“Physically, I feel like I just finished a football game. Tomorrow morning probably won’t be fun,” Hinton said. “A month ago I was selling fundraisers and just trying to scrape up what I could, trying to stay in shape and figuring out what was next. Always kept that positive attitude about what was next when it came to football.”

Hinton was added to the Broncos’ practice squad as a wide receiver on Nov. 4 and had no expectations of playing a minute for the Broncos. His current salary is $142,800 — the lowest of anyone on Denver’s active roster by almost $100,000. 

He said he knew some of Denver’s playbook heading into the game, but that offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur had cut the playbook down to “maybe 20-30 plays” for him on Sunday. When he got the news Saturday afternoon, he went through a walk-through with the team that night and stayed up late studying the playbook.

“When I got the call, it was pure excitement. There was nerves and disbelief, but the encouragement the team gave me and guys just keeping me up the whole time, they made it a lot easier for me,” Hinton said.

“I never thought I’d be back in the reins, but as time went on and I felt the guys having my back, it made me feel comfortable being more vocal and playing that quarterback role that I was familiar with. It took some time, but after awhile it’s like riding a bike.”

Hinton didn’t technically start the game at quarterback, with running back Phillip Lindsay taking the first three snaps of the game in a wildcat formation. Lindsay left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury, rushing for 20 yards on nine carries.

Third-string running back Royce Freeman also played some wildcat, leading the team in yards with 50. 

The Broncos were actually in the game in the first quarter, with the defense holding the Saints scoreless. But the offense, led by Hinton, Lindsay and Freeman, struggled to move the ball all game to keep it competitive. 

Denver finished with only 112 total yards, 99 of which came on the ground. Hinton’s two interceptions didn’t prove too costly, with the first one resulting in a Saints field goal and the other being turned right back over with an interception from fellow Wake Forest grad and undrafted rookie Essang Bassey.

The Saints offense wore down the Broncos, though, rushing for 229 yards and possessing the ball for 35:46. Saints quarterback Taysom Hill was 9 of 16 for 78 yards and one interception while rushing for 44 yards and two touchdowns. 

Hinton’s lone completion — a 13-yard pass to tight end Noah Fant — was the eighth time in NFL history that a team only completed one pass in a game. It was also the first time in 22 years that a quarterback threw more interceptions than had completed passes — Ryan Leaf did it with the Chargers in 1998.

“Absolutely expect to play better,” Hinton said. “The Saints have a great defense, but I honestly don’t feel like I played nearly to the best of my ability. Of course, a day or two of practice would have definitely helped.”

Hinton’s first NFL game was certainly not how he imagined it would be. But the undrafted rookie was upbeat after the game, saying Sunday will still be a day he always remembers.

“I would not say this is how I had it planned out in my dreams,” Hinton said. “But it usually doesn’t work out how you want it, so just getting this opportunity and this experience has been amazing.”