All around the league, teams are getting great looks at some of their backups and roster hopefuls, but the NFL preseason is a tremendous opportunity to evaluate quarterback play beyond just the guys who will be starting on Sundays this fall. For the Seattle Seahawks, the preseason is an especially important tool in this regard because it gives them a chance to get some important reps for backup Drew Lock, a player they believe still has starter potential in the NFL.
Lock obviously came into the NFL as a second-round pick of the Denver Broncos back in 2019, and he was their primary starter for what can only be described as a disastrous 2020 season. Although Lock had some good moments for the Broncos, he was replaced by Teddy Bridgewater in 2021 and did nothing to endear himself to the franchise when he got the chance to come in for relief duty late in that 2021 season.
But there have been some decent “highs” from Lock, and he does his part to flash upside when he’s given chances to play. We saw him do exactly that as he played his first-ever snaps at Lumen Field on Thursday night.
Drew Lock flashes upside in Seattle Seahawks preseason debut
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1689855993747013632
This kind of ball placement — especially in a third-down situation and inside the red zone — is outstanding work from Lock. Lock has been known to take too many reckless chances with the ball in addition to not having the best accuracy as a passer at all times, but it’s these types of throws that will always keep NFL teams coming back to his overall talent.
Drew Lock with a tight window TD throw to Easop Winston Jr. Nice drive by Seattle pic.twitter.com/b8JSWLX0K0
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 11, 2023
Can Drew Lock still be a starter in the NFL? Throws like these will have teams wondering. For now, the Seattle Seahawks will continue to roll with Geno Smith as their primary starter. Smith had an incredible year in 2022, winning the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award and earning a Pro Bowl nod.
In some ways, Lock’s situation could end up mirroring that which we have seen from a player like Geno Smith. Smith looked like a lost cause after his first couple of NFL seasons in which he struggled with interceptions (badly) and wound up taking the “career backup” path.
Smith was an expected first-round pick, just like Lock, who fell surprisingly to the second round. Again, Smith’s career path has been a long and winding road. As he famously stated last year, many people had written him off, but he “ain’t write back”.
Likewise, many have written Drew Lock off as well, but he’s still so young and has really no reason to just accept any sort of fate as a career backup. The upside has always been there from Lock, and as Geno Smith has proven, if you keep working at your craft to get better, that dream of being a high-level starter is still there.