Broncos: What Matt Stafford trade involvement means for Drew Lock
Are the Denver Broncos done with Drew Lock?
The question is, does the Denver Broncos’ involvement in the Matthew Stafford trade sweepstakes mean the team is done with Drew Lock?
The answer is obviously no.
The Broncos can’t say for certain at this point in time that Lock is the team’s long-term option at the quarterback position. That’s the reality. They could certainly believe that he could be, but until Lock proves he is worthy of that distinction, the team has every right to explore possibilities through trades, free agency, the NFL Draft, or however.
When a player like Stafford becomes available, you make the call and ask the price. That’s what any good general manager would do. When the price is too high because the team has already decided to trade him to a different NFL team, you chalk it up for what it is.
Stafford’s availability doesn’t mean the Broncos are going to be calling the San Francisco 49ers about Jimmy Garoppolo. It doesn’t mean they are going to call the Minnesota Vikings about Kirk Cousins. It doesn’t mean they are going to send an offer to every free agent quarterback. It doesn’t mean they are going to trade up in the 2021 NFL Draft to move aggressively for whoever their QB2 is behind Trevor Lawrence. It doesn’t mean they are going to take whatever QB is still on the board at pick number nine overall just to do it.
They were doing appropriate due diligence on a veteran player who would have been a good acquisition for the right price at the most important position on the field.
To think their involvement with Stafford means they are unquestionably moving on from Drew Lock is an incorrect assumption, even if Paton does end up falling in love with someone from the 2021 NFL Draft class.
It is fair to assume that Lock is going to be expected to show substantial improvement in consistency in his second year in the Pat Shurmur offense. George Paton is not married to Drew Lock as the new GM of the team. Although Lock put plenty of good and bad on tape in 2020, perhaps the single biggest issue he had throughout the season was consistency.
If the Broncos believe he can improve that with coaching and a little added competition in the quarterback room, it could truly bring the best out of Lock in his third NFL season.