Denver Broncos: Patience with Drew Lock is proper direction

Denver Broncos second-round rookie quarterback Drew Lock remains on IR but there shouldn’t be a rush to get him on the field, despite Joe Flacco’s injury.

It’s been a disaster for the Denver Broncos in the 2019 NFL season. Entering Week 9 with just a 2-6 record, they now have news that starting quarterback Joe Flacco will miss the remainder of the year. Not that Flacco has been good this season but there’s no denying that he’s at least marginally better than his replacement for Sunday against Cleveland, Brandon Allen.

But with Flacco out of the lineup, fans are right to wonder where Drew Lock, the quarterback that general manager John Elway and the Broncos selected in the second round of this year’s draft, is. Well, the answer to that is on IR but he’s eligible to return at this point and, by all accounts, is healthy enough to do so.

Subsequently, people are already decrying Elway again for whiffing on a quarterback pick in the draft. To be sure, Elway has earned criticism in that regard and, in the same vein, there’s no certainty that Lock will buck that trend. However, the Broncos are actually operating wisely at this point with the young quarterback.

More from NFL Spin Zone

First is the simple rules of activating a player off of IR. Once a player returns to practice, a team has exactly three weeks to determine whether that player will be activated. With Lock having not returned yet, they are trying to give themselves the most time to evaluate the rookie signal-caller.

Part of that and the bigger reason why Denver is operating smartly here is what Lock offers as a prospect. The Missouri product has every physical tool that an NFL team would want from a quarterback. However, his limited work in a pro-style offense has led to him simply being behind mentally for what it takes to succeed in this league.

Subsequently, Lock needs as much time as possible to practice. More than that, though, throwing him to the wolves in what amounts to a lost season does them no good. This Broncos offensive line is abysmal and bringing in Lock right now might do more harm than good when you look at Denver’s upcoming schedule.

Despite how disappointing the Browns have been, their defense and pass rush remain impressive. In Week 10, the Broncos have their bye before they go on the road to face the Vikings in Week 11 and stay away from Mile High to face the Bills the following week. Putting Lock behind the Denver offensive line against those defenses would be setting him up for success given his limitations as a developing player.

To finish the season, though, the schedule lightens up in terms of the defenses Denver faces, taking on the Chargers at home, Texans on the road, Chiefs on the road, Lions at home and finish the year at home for the Raiders. None of those defenses truly spark fear in anyone, even if some do have talent.

Waiting until after the bye week to bring Lock into the practice fold and then activating him and starting him for that finishing stretch to the season is the right stretch. The Broncos would be putting him in against friendly matchups that would allow him to, hopefully, build confidence and not just be picking turf out of his facemask.

Next. 2019 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 9. dark

Yes, for Lock to be a successful quarterback in the NFL, he’s going to have to play against good defenses. But for a player who is not fully ready, putting him in that situation behind this line would not help him grow in the slightest. Being patient with the rookie and inserting him at the proper time, however, could help in that regard.

And if it still goes awfully, have no fear — the Broncos should be in position for Elway to take another (likely ill-fated) stab at drafting a quarterback again, likely high in the first round.

Home/Denver Broncos