Denver Broncos: Pros and cons of putting Drew Lock on IR

The Denver Broncos will be without Drew Lock for at least the next month, maybe more. Let’s look at the pros and cons of possibly placing him on IR.

There’s really not an overly positive way to spin this. The thumb injury for Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock is a very unfortunate deal for (almost) everyone involved.

First of all, it’s unfortunate for Lock because he was making marked progress every week, and was on track to be the Broncos’ opening day backup quarterback.

It’s unfortunate for the team because the Broncos would obviously prefer if Lock were healthy and able to show what he can do in the team’s final couple of preseason games. It would also benefit the Broncos to only have to carry two quarterbacks on their active roster if possible.

It’s also unfortunate for the fans, who now won’t get to see Lock again for a long while unless he plays mop-up duty at some point in the regular season.

The only two people this injury actually benefits are Kevin Hogan and Brett Rypien.

Hogan was probably on his way to playing for another team. Rypien was perhaps on his way to the practice squad.

So what are the Broncos going to do? If Lock is only going to be out for a month and change, they probably shouldn’t put him on injured reserve. If he’s going to need a month to recover and another month to get back to full strength?

That’s another story entirely.

If Lock misses only 4-5 weeks

If this is the case, the Broncos have to plan as though Lock’s absence will be temporary, and just keep him on the active roster until he’s ready to go, taking the IR option off the table. Whenever Lock gets healthy, they could release or trade Kevin Hogan and free up the roster spot.

If Lock misses 6 or more weeks

If Lock is going to miss six, seven, or even eight weeks with this injury, the Broncos could very well look to put him on injured reserve.

The way this would work is, Lock would be on the team’s final roster on August 31, then he would be placed on IR September 1. This means the team would have to cut someone they plan on bringing back to the active roster since Lock will, even if it’s just for a day, take up a 53-man roster spot.

Risky move, depending on the player and how tight things are elsewhere.

The Broncos already have a variety of players who will miss the start of the season due to injury that will likely be kept on the 53-man roster. Those players include FB Andy Janovich, LB Joe Jones, RB Theo Riddick, and possibly LB Todd Davis.

There’s also the risk of using (wasting?) one of your two IR/return spots on the backup quarterback. It saves you a roster spot for half the year, but what if a key starter goes down with an injury that takes eight weeks or longer to heal?

The Broncos should not just haphazardly use their IR/return designation on Lock, and by placing him on IR, he’s also limited in what he can do as far as making progress on the field.

The team’s decision will obviously be determined by the length of time it’s going to take Lock to recover. They are allowed to bring two guys back on IR, but they can’t place Lock on IR now and just bring him back. They have to wait until after he’s already been on the 53-man roster, which sort of complicates the overall roster building process.