What could Broncos’ hire of Nathaniel Hackett do for Drew Lock?

Now that the Denver Broncos have their new head coach in place, questions about how his presence will immediately impact the team are naturally popping up.

The Denver Broncos became the first of the nine teams in the NFL with a head coaching vacancy to fill it, hiring Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett on Thursday.

One of the first questions fans are going to wonder is in regards to who will fill out the rest of Hackett’s staff. There will also be plenty of speculation as to whether or not the Broncos have a better shot of acquiring  Aaron Rodgers, who has spent the past three seasons with Hackett.

But what about the players Hackett is inheriting on the Denver roster? That starts with Drew Lock, who happens to be the only quarterback under contract for next season.

It’s easy to speculate about the Broncos trading for Rodgers or a guy like Russell Wilson. That would be the splash, big-time move many fans are hoping the team makes. There is also the chance that the team will take a chance on one of the quarterbacks in the draft with the No. 9 overall pick.

But what if that doesn’t happen? What if the Broncos don’t trade for a veteran and draft a guy like Georgia’s Nakobe Dean with their first-round choice?

While it is possible and perhaps even likely that Hackett and general manager George Paton share a vision of the quarterback position that does not include Lock, let’s say that for argument’s sake, they are willing to give him a shot next year.

Lock has certainly shown that he is not a fully-developed professional passer. He has made numerous mistakes in the games that he has played but he has also made some solid plays (video) for the team as well. There is a glimmer of hope when you watch him play.

The issue that he has faced in Denver, and really his entire playing career, is in the coaching department.

Lock has played under the guidance of several different offensive coordinators, dating back to his high school days. Under the staff led by Vic Fangio, it always seemed like they had no confidence in Lock and that showed on the field.

Drew Lock could easily be the Broncos’ starter in 2022

Not long ago, I talked about that topic in-depth and make it clear that Fangio and his staff severely stunted the growth of Lock. Had he been the starter this past season, instead of the wasted season with Teddy Bridgewater, we likely wouldn’t have to have this conversation one way or the other.

Those who don’t see Lock as an NFL starter are absolutely convinced that he is not and never will be. But the sample size has not been much and he certainly has not been put in a position to succeed.

Perhaps under Hackett, who was able to take the Jacksonville Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game with Blake Bortles as his starter during his time there, Lock could find a new level of success.

While some fans may not want to even think of entertaining that idea, not having to trade away a crazy number of assets for a guy like Rodgers or Wilson and instead, using all of their draft picks and the high amount of cap space they have to sign free agents to build a more complete team should sound appealing.

How Hackett views Lock at this point is anyone’s guess. But it is refreshing to see the Broncos bring in an offensive-minded guy who could help get him to that next level and for all we know, that could definitely be in the cards.