Denver Broncos approach with Drew Lock unmistakably correct

The Denver Broncos are clearly prepared to take their time with quarterback Drew Lock, which is the perfect approach for the rookie in question.

Leading up to the 2019 NFL Draft, there were rumblings that the Denver Broncos were interested in former Missouri Tigers quarterback Drew Lock, potentially as a first-round pick. However, the Broncos traded down from the 10th overall pick and then selected tight end Noah Fant with the 20th overall pick. Lock remained on the board, even until the Broncos made their second round pick.

After that, the interest became clear as Denver moved up again to make consectuive selections. With the 42nd overall pick, John Elway and the Broncos finally took Lock off the board and paved his way to the quarterback room shared with Joe Flacco, who arrived via an offseason trade with the Baltimore Ravens prior to the draft.

From the moment that the Broncos got their guy in Lock, the chatter of him usurping Flacco started. Fans and analysts alike immediately postulated when the rookie would take the starting quarterback job from the veteran, especially given Flacco’s lackluster performance in Baltimore over the past few seasons.

If new Denver head coach Vic Fangio is to be believed, though, that’s not something we should expect any time soon. The former Bears defensive coordinator said that Lock wasn’t ready, per NFL.com. Fangio elaborated on the matter:

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"“I don’t think he’s far along as far as being as NFL-ready a quarterback as he could’ve been. That’s what I mean when I say he’s got to get ready. He’s not a quarterback yet — he’s a hard-throwing pitcher that doesn’t know how to pitch yet. The faster he gets that, the better off he’ll be and we’ll be.”"

In the modern NFL, the mantra seems to unequivocally be that a teams shouldn’t draft a quarterback with a high pick if they aren’t going to play him almost immediately. When it comes to Lock, however, Fangio is spot on in his assessment — and the Broncos as a whole are approaching the rookie quarterback with the proper caution.

There’s no questioning the innate talent that Lock possesses. His arm strength and his top-level throws are arguably better than any quarterback in his draft class. Where he falls short of his peers, however, is with his consistency in regards to his accuracy, footwork and decision-making.

Admittedly, Lock improved in those areas while at Missouri, particularly from his junior to senior year as he transitioned to heading a more pro-style offense. Entering the NFL, though, there is still plenty of work to be done.

While Flacco is not going to be the savior of the Broncos offense, even his mediocre performance will still provide that unit with stability. Moreover, Denver is still a team that wants to win on the strength of their defense — further evidenced by merely hiring Fangio to be their new head coach.

Put simply, the former Baltimore signal-caller is a perfectly fine stopgap to have installed while Lock does work to progress as a quarterback. This isn’t about trying to just win now but rather trying to institute the infrastructure for long-term success. Having Lock fine-tune his game to work out the glaring weaknesses helps to ensure that.

The NFL is full of debates over whether or not to sit rookie quarterbacks, or for how long said players should sit out. There is not generalized answer for that, though. It’s something that must be taken on a case-by-case, player-by-player basis and assessed from there. And in the case of Lock joining the Broncos, they are doing right by the player and the team by taking it slow with the rookie.