Ranking AFC West teams by quarterback situation: Patrick Mahomes sets the bar
By Lucas Schuh
No. 3 AFC West QB situation: Denver Broncos
Projected Starter: Drew Lock
Backups: Brandon Allen, Jeff Driskel, Brett Rypien
John Elway was one of the best quarterbacks of all time with the Broncos. As a quarterback evaluator in the front office, though, Elway has received plenty of criticism. Since he became the general manager in Denver (2011) he’s drafted the likes of Brock Osweiler, Zac Dysert, Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Chad Kelly and, most recently, Drew Lock.
Lock is the presumed starter heading into the 2020 NFL season. However, there are still some questions around the Missouri product. Lock only saw the field for five games as a rookie last year after Joe Flacco won the starting job and he ended up on injured reserve. Yes, Locks’ five games resulted in a 4-1 record but he delivered mixed performances.
Competition isn’t something that should worry Lock this year as the backups in Denver aren’t anything to write home about. Lock’s backup is most likely going to be Brandon Allen, who played for an injured Flacco last season before Lock got activated from IR. He’s not a top-tier backup in the NFL but he’s proven to be good enough for the Broncos to survive if Lock were to go down.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, Lock is going to be the future at quarterback in Denver. There were low moments on his film in 2019 but also plenty of highs as well. If the Broncos want to compete in the AFC West, Lock is going to have to consistently deliver those highs throughout a full 16-game season.