Denver Broncos: Drew Lock might be another miss at quarterback

Drew Lock is regressing this season for the Denver Broncos, despite flashes.

There was hype surrounding the Denver Broncos this year because of how solid quarterback Drew Lock looked at the end of his rookie season. He started just five games as a rookie due to injury, but played well, going 4-1 in those games. That was a small sample size but Broncos fans finally thought they might have found their franchise quarterback.

The 2020 season has been a different story for the former second-round pick. Lock has started seven games this season and thrown for 1,497 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions with four of those interceptions coming this past weekend in Las Vegas.

Sunday’s start was especially ugly for Lock, as the Broncos scored just 12 points and he threw just one touchdown to four picks.

Lock has only started 12 games and doesn’t even have enough starts to fill an entire regular season yet, so the organization probably isn’t giving up on him yet. If he continues to struggle through the end of the season, however, and Denver winds up with a top 10 pick, Lock’s time in the Mile High City could be over before it really even began.

The Denver Broncos could have another failed quarterback with Drew Lock.

It’s been tough sledding for John Elway when it comes to finding a franchise quarterback. Since Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset after the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 victory, Denver has had names like Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Case Keenum, and Joe Flacco at quarterback. None of them panned out.

Lock was supposed to be the answer in Denver. He slid to the second round in the 2019 NFL Draft after a nice career at Missouri and he played really well as a rookie, throwing for 1,020 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions through five games. Elway did what he could to surround Lock with talent too, drafting two wide receivers with their first two picks and also bringing in his college teammate at the tight end position.

While Lock has struggled mightily this season, the Broncos have been pretty banged up. Courtland Sutton isn’t playing and he was Lock’s go-to guy a season ago. The offensive line has been better, but Lock has been sacked at least twice in all but three of his starts this season. The defense also took a hit when Von Miller couldn’t play this year.

Broncos fans have a right to be frustrated. Lock looks like yet another flameout quarterback, but he deserves at least another season. The Broncos aren’t going to be bad enough to get the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, meaning they won’t be able to land Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields, so they’re probably going to be “stuck” with Lock for at least one more year.

Perhaps with the team healthier next season, we’ll get a better sample size of what Drew Lock can offer the Denver Broncos. His leash is certainly getting shorter with each start though.