Denver Broncos: Drew Lock could be on trade block by Friday

The Denver Broncos could take a quarterback atop their 2021 NFL Draft class. What would that mean for incumbent starter Drew Lock? Well, it could mean his time in Denver is up.

Not that the Denver Broncos would have to trade Drew Lock, but they certainly could.

According to Albert Breer (MMQB), there are already some possible scenarios in the works should the Denver Broncos land the quarterback they are seeking on Thursday night.

It makes you wonder what the Denver Broncos could have in the works with the 9th overall selection as they have a roster that appears poised for the playoffs sooner rather than later if the quarterback position is figured out.

The Denver Broncos put in a ton of work on the quarterbacks in this offseason circuit with GM George Paton himself traveling to see the pro days of Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance.

In addition to Paton (and his front office no. 2 Brian Stark along with QB coach Mike Shula) going to see those guys’ pro days together, Paton sent one of his top assistants in the front office AJ Durso as well as offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to go and see the auxiliary pro days of Justin Fields and Trey Lance.

The Broncos were not trying to feign interest in quarterbacks or feign lack of interest — they are interested in these guys…at the right price.

What is that right price?

It would certainly be the 9th overall pick if the Denver Broncos stay there. If they decide to move up, the Miami Dolphins at 6 make a ton of sense. George Paton has already acknowledged that he has a strong relationship with Dolphins GM Chris Grier, and the Dolphins could probably get at least one guy at 9 that they could get at 6 while getting a little something extra in addition.

A trade with the Broncos would also help the Dolphins play a little defense on the New England Patriots, who are rumored to be aggressive in trying to move up for a quarterback.

All of this has impact on Drew Lock, of course, who could be on his way to another team.

Paton’s former team in Minnesota would make sense as they seek a competent backup to Kirk Cousins, and that move would allow Lock to go to an offense under Klint Kubiak that he was initially drafted to play in.

The other rumored team is the Carolina Panthers, and wouldn’t it be something if the Denver Broncos and Panthers had an agreement in place already for Drew Lock if someone like Justin Fields falls to the 9th pick?

Denver Broncos 2021 mock draft: QB in the first, then what?

The Denver Broncos have a roster that is ready to start winning games. They cannot stunt anyone's growth by passing on quarterbacks.

At any rate, things are unfolding in a hurry and while there is no guarantee that a quarterback will be the Denver Broncos’ top pick on Thursday night, the signals sure seem to be pointing in that direction.