Drew Lock’s thumb injury will force tough roster decisions
By Tylor Walden
As if the injury bug could not bite anymore, the Broncos learned that Drew Lock will be forced to miss time, which means some tough roster moves are coming.
When the injury bug hits, it tends to depend on a variety of factors. Somehow, this preseason alone, the Denver Broncos have been hit big time by it. Monday’s preseason loss to the San Francisco 49ers provided an injury to Denver’s possible face of the franchise quarterback in Drew Lock.
Early in the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers, Drew Lock fell to the turf and got up to hold his right hand. He would stay out to finish the series, but was taken to the locker room afterwards.
Turns out that, while the injury is not considered serious, he will be forced to miss a significant amount of time with his thumb injury on his throwing hand.
Following his MRI, #Broncos rookie QB Drew Lock was diagnosed with a bad sprain, source said. But the good news is, no surgery is required. He’s obviously going to miss some time.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 20, 2019
The good news is that the injury will not force him to have surgery. The bad part is that he will be forced to miss some time. One report indicates that it will go into the regular season. But it is safe to say that Drew Lock will not be playing the remainder of the preseason.
This impacts the quarterback room in a big way. Joe Flacco is the obvious starter. But behind him in order got a little bit concerning. Kevin Hogan did not look good in the last two preseason games and Brett Rypien has not seen the field since the Hall of Fame game.
Now comes the question. Do the Denver Broncos carry four quarterbacks on the final roster? It honestly would not be the smartest move. The general consensus is to have Brett Rypien land on the practice squad. But if the team keeps four quarterbacks, that takes away a roster spot from another position.
Next. Linebackers the Broncos should consider looking at. dark
If the team decides to let Lock rest and just roll with two quarterbacks until his return, that is an option. But if Flacco were to go down before the second round quarterback comes back from injury, that would certainly result in worst case scenario.
For Denver’s third preseason game on Saturday, the starters will get the majority of the reps. Which means we will likely only see Joe Flacco and Kevin Hogan. If I am Denver and Kevin Hogan struggles on Saturday, I would be keeping an eye on any quarterbacks that might not make a 53-man roster.
We are hopeful that Drew Lock makes a quick recovery. But the fact that he has gone down in the preseason will take away valuable reps. Let us just hope the quarterback dominoes do not continue to fall.