Denver Broncos: Making the case for Trey Lance in round one

Impact on Drew Lock

There is some good news in case you happen to hope or believe Drew Lock is able to become a good NFL starting quarterback — drafting Trey Lance doesn’t have to mean Lock’s demise.

That’s right.

Although my initial thought to the Denver Broncos drafting a quarterback would be that it would mean Lock getting traded, the more I think about it, the less sense that makes.

The Denver Broncos do not have to get rid of Lock at all. He was their starter last year and he showed upside and promise. He showed flashes of brilliance, even, amidst his inconsistencies and failing forward.

Lance has been pitched as the kind of player that might require some time to learn on the practice field before he gets real regular season action. Lock could keep his starting job in 2021 for the Denver Broncos while Lance learned in practice and in the film room.

Would it be awkward? Possibly, but these guys are professionals, and they kind of just have to deal with it.

The Broncos have Lock under contract at a ridiculously low price for the next two years. Why get rid of him if he’s worked in the offense already and has a chance to increase his value over the course of the next year?

George Paton shouldn’t “sell low” on Drew Lock and I don’t think he would. Even if the Broncos were to bring in Justin Fields and not Trey Lance, I think Lock would be able to stick around because he’s young, cheap, has shown that he can make plays, and there’s no need to punt a second-round pick out the door at the most valuable position on the team when your depth behind him is already highly questionable.

The idea that Lance could come in and push Lock is something I grow fonder of by the day.

In a year, either Lock will have played well enough that you could trade Lance to the highest bidder or he will have played poorly enough that you could comfortably move on with a plan in place already.