Denver Broncos: Drew Lock’s areas for improvement

If you’ve been following the recent news around the NFL, you probably have heard that Drew Lock has lost his job as starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

The news broke out around 10:50 Wednesday morning when Head Coach Vic Fangio informed the team that Teddy Bridgewater would start week one versus the New York Giants. Drew Lock will serve as the team’s backup quarterback.

Bridgewater, a former first-round selection, started all but one game last season as the quarterback of the Carolina Panthers. He was then acquired in the offseason by General Manager George Paton, who just so happened to be on the same Vikings staff that drafted him.

After nearly seven years, the two find themselves together again.

With Teddy Bridgewater now as the confirmed starter for Denver, it begs the question almost every Broncos fan is wondering: why not Lock?

In his first full season as an NFL starter, Drew Lock struggled mightily. The University of Missouri prospect threw for less than 3,000 yards and had a 16/15 touchdown to interception ratio.

In total, his quarterback rating fell short of just 50.

Heading into the offseason, Lock knew he had to make great strides in his game to make an impact in Denver, especially considering he’d be competing with a proven NFL starter in Bridgewater. Well, it’s safe to say Lock did improve.

The most important factor he worked on was his footwork. In the one game he started in the 2021 preseason, Lock’s footwork looked much more controlled and relaxed. His momentum was going forward with the ball, and not going backward. This gave Lock much more power along with the release and the ability to make those eye-catching plays.

While Lock made strides in his game into the 2021 season, he still fell short in winning back his starting gig. The question is, where did he fall short?

Let’s take a closer look into Drew Lock’s game and address his two biggest needs for improvement in 2021.