Coach Sean Payton says Broncos receiver Josh Reynolds is ‘pretty shook up’ after being shot last week

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver coach Sean Payton said Broncos receiver Josh Reynolds is doing well but “was pretty shaken up” after being shot last week.

“He’s lucky,” Payton said. “Obviously the league and local authorities are dealing with it. I had the opportunity to talk to him. He was pretty shaken up and I’ll leave it at that.

Reynolds has been practicing and working on the sidelines all week as he recovers from a broken finger he suffered earlier this month against Las Vegas.

He required surgery and was benched with injuries, so Reynolds did not accompany the Broncos to New Orleans for their game on Thursday, October 17.

Reynolds and another man were shot as they left a strip club in the early morning hours of Oct. 18, around the time his teammates were returning from a 33-10 victory over the Saints on Thursday night.

“First of all, I’m glad he’s OK,” defenseman Pat Surtain II said Friday after the concussion protocol was approved. “Obviously, I wish him all the best in his recovery because situations like this, just the fact that he’s able to come out of that situation is a blessing for him and for this organization. As a whole (team) and everyone involved in this organization, we are glad he is OK.”

Left guard Garett Bolles, who has a locker next to Reynolds, said the team was shocked by the shooting and everyone tried to support him.

“We could have lost our brother. That’s really what it’s all about,” Bolles said. “You know, there’s no time or place for arguing, especially these days. … Someone trying to take another person’s life is simply unacceptable.”

Denver police said they arrested two men – 35-year-old Luis Mendoza and 42-year-old Burr Charlesworth – in connection with the shooting that happened around 3 a.m. on a stretch of Interstate 25 south of downtown.

The men were being held for investigation of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault. Police said they were trying to identify possible additional suspects, “therefore, arrest reports are sealed to protect the integrity of the investigation.”

NBC affiliate KUSA-TV in Denver said Reynolds was shot once in the left shoulder and once in the back of the head.

Reynolds is in his ninth NFL season and first with Denver after signing a two-year, $9 million contract last offseason. He played in five games, started one, and caught 12 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown.

He spent the previous three seasons in Detroit. He also played for the Titans and the Rams, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M.