What should the Broncos do at quarterback?

The Broncos quarterback situation is back in the spotlight after Joe Flacco’s debacle of a performance in the 30-6 loss to the Chiefs last Thursday. Up ‘til this point the Flacco-stans have kept the wolves at bay with “he’s not the problem,” but even they can no longer ignore he’s certainly a big part of it.

Which got me to bugging the rest of the Mile High Report staff:

What have you thought of Joe Flacco’s play for the Broncos so far this season? Should the Broncos start Drew Lock? When?

Taylor Kothe: I was not a fan of the idea of bringing Flacco in, even as early as last December.

Though I’ll admit I was pleasantly surprised by him early in the season, I’m unfortunately not surprised to see his issues mounting. While the OL has been incredibly erratic, the factor that has consistently hobbled the Broncos’ offense this year has been QB play on third downs and in the red zone.

Flacco’s still a step up from the previous couple QBs, but only that: one step up. Lock should start if he’s actually ready to see regular season action. Starting him just to make a change or to evaluate him regardless of the context of his development and the O-line’s state, isn’t wise. If he’s not ready, let him sit and learn while we suffer through Flacco. Then do what’s necessary to get a great QB prospect in 2020 and let the two young guns compete.

Ian St. Clair: Elway and the Broncos should file an exemption to allow Lock to start this week. The only evidence they need to present is the Thursday night game vs the Chiefs. Anyone watching that would then agree, “Yes, Denver deserves an exemption and Lock is allowed to play early.” Regardless of how Flacco played prior to last Thursday’s game is now irrelevant.

Adam Malnati: I don’t know what else needs to be seen. Joe Flacco gave up on the Broncos against the Chiefs and should be cast out. Lock needs to start as soon as possible and should he the starter the rest of the way.

Joe Mahoney: I echo Adam. It appeared to me that Flacco gave up on the team on Thursday night. So I want to evaluate Lock ASAP to see whether or not there is enough “there there” to make a decision on him. As an organization we can’t repeat the mistake that we made with Paxton Lynch. If the coaches and the front office knew that he was not the answer at QB and had no chance of ever being the answer, they should have said so and screamed it so that we could have moved on as as organization a lot sooner than we did.

Kevin Gillikin: As I said 8 weeks ago, I don’t like Joe Flacco’s face. He doesn’t seem to inspire or lead anyone on the team and to further the echo, the guy gave up and should never take another snap in orange and blue. #JanoatQB

Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann: I used to be of the mind that Lock should not start this season at all - because I thought Joe Flacco would be enough to get the Broncos a winning season. Used to be. After Thursday night’s game, it’s clear this team doesn’t have even the prayer of a postseason and Flacco is not “elite” enough to get the Broncos into playoff contention this season or next. So once Lock is healthy and ready to try out the NFL, I say throw him to the wolves and see what he’s capable of.

Joe Rowles: It’s a complicated situation with Lock because I do believe his biggest issues are mechanical. Since his injury has meant he’s had little real practice reps with the rest of the team to even start to work out those issues, throwing him in early will probably just exacerbate them.

Which leaves a huge cloud of doubt hanging over the entire quarterback position. Ideally, Flacco wouldn’t look like such a dumpster fire that the Broncos’ coaching staff gets pressured into throwing Lock to the wolves. Life in the NFL (and general) rarely goes according to plan though.

With where things currently stand, Lock is still on Injured Reserve. If he stays on IR, it may be due to the coaching staff’s adamant belief that he needs a year of development OR it could be due to the fact that Flacco gives them the best chance to evaluate the rest of the young players on offense.

If it winds up due to the former, look for Lock to hit his second camp as the starter or in a clear competition for the number one job. If it’s the latter, Elway will enter yet another crossroads at the QB position because he’ll probably have to decide if he believes in a second round pick enough to pass on what could be a generational 2020 class at the position.

What do you think Broncos Country?