The beautiful mystery of Denver Broncos QB Drew Lock
Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock has been an extremely polarizing player in his three years in Denver. He’s a beautiful mystery with an unknown future.
The year is 2019. The Denver Broncos are 3-8 after eleven pathetic weeks from former starting quarterback Joe Flacco.
All of a sudden, hope is reborn as the team announced that then-rookie quarterback Drew Lock would get the starts for the rest of the season.
Over the next five games, the Denver Broncos would rally around the rookie, as his infectious attitude, leadership, and efficient play helped lead the Broncos to a 4-1 finish. Going into the 2020 season, many of us simply assumed that Lock had it figured out and the Broncos had their answer.
In fact, when the team fired Rich Scangarello and hired Pat Shurmur, many of us were excited to see what a veteran offensive coordinator could do with a hungry, second-year quarterback.
The 2020 season was an absolute mess. COVID forced teams to conduct much of their business virtually, and for the Denver Broncos, the youngest offense in the league coupled with a new offensive system yielded disgusting on-field results.
The excuses for Lock’s poor play poured in. Some were valid reasons, but some were not.
Going into the 2021 season, the team added some competition to the quarterback room with the acquisition of veteran Teddy Bridgewater.
Most of us rallied behind Lock, as we thought another year in the offense would give Drew Lock an advantage over Teddy.
To the surprise of no one, Lock outperformed Bridgewater during most of the offseason activities, and many of us had figured he won the starting job. Obviously, the team named Teddy Bridgewater the starter, and that seemed to be the end of the Drew Lock era in Denver.
But, is it really the end? You see, the Broncos didn’t exactly have the best coaching situation surrounding the offense, or the entire team. Vic Fangio clearly was in over his head, and Pat Shurmur was a liability, at best.
Even through the giant coaching mess, Lock showed us flashes of who he could be.
When Teddy Bridgewater went down late in the 2021 season, Drew Lock would get yet another chance.
While the box score wouldn’t wow anyone, watching the games would show you that Drew Lock was playing much better, in fact, some say he was playing so well that the team’s success would have been much greater had he started the entire season.
Now, with the Fangio administration out of the picture, and the Denver Broncos poised to interview a plethora of head coaching candidates, it’s fair to wonder where Drew Lock stands within the organization?
I think it’s safe to say that Teddy Bridgewater will not return to the team. Lock still has one year remaining on his rookie deal, and could, at the minimum, serve as the team’s backup, so there’s really no use in Drew Lock not being on the team.
Here’s the thing, though. With all of the flashes he’s shown, is it worth wondering if Drew Lock will be given yet another opportunity to prove his worth in Denver?
During Lock’s five starts in 2019, he passed for 7 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, with a passer rating of 89.7
In 2020, during his last four starts, he passed for 7 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, with a passer rating of 92.1
And in 2021, during his final three starts, he passed for 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, with a passer rating of 92.5
Drew Lock has put solid stretches of football together, even as a rookie, bad play-caller, and limited action.
Lock may never develop into a franchise quarterback, whether it’s with the Denver Broncos or with another team, but his spurts of competent football leaves his future in Denver as a beautiful mystery.