Yesterday, during Broncos Head Coach Vic Fangio’s weekly press conference, Broncos Country eagerly waited for Drew Lock to be named starting quarterback against the Los Angeles Charges. But that announcement never came.
When asked on what Lock would need to do for him to start on Sunday, Fangio said “Just see some more practice, but really the practices now this time of year are limited. You’re talking like 40 plays a day—just to make sure he’s OK physically, which he is, and he’s prepared physically and emotionally to go out there and play.”
Lock was selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft (Pick 42) after the Broncos traded up with the Bengals to draft the quarterback out of Missouri.
At Missouri, Lock was featured in a spread offense taking snaps from shotgun and found success in an air raid collegiate system.
During training camp and preseason, Lock showed significant arm strength and effortless athleticism. However, it was also evident that Rich Scangarello’s west coast offense is foreign. The rookie quarterback needs to develop his drop backs from under center, and fine tune his pre-snap defensive reads.
Fangio was asked about seeing a jump from training camp to now with Lock and said, “I’ve seen a little bit of a jump in comfortability. I think he learned a lot from the sideline about how to handle certain things—handle the huddle, calling the plays. I do think he got a better understanding albeit from the sideline.”
The Broncos remain in last place in their division and are projected to have at top 10 pick in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft.
With Joe Flacco being injured, and Brandon Allen’s underwhelming performance against the Bills last week, the Broncos need to play Drew Lock.
If Lock started for the rest of the season he will have played against the Chargers, Texans, Chiefs, Lions and Raiders for a 5-game sample size.
While the entire state of Colorado is calling for Lock to start, Fangio hasn’t revealed the starting quarterback for this week.
When he was asked if Lock being a hot topic with the public will impact the decision to start him or not, Fangio said “No, I think we need to make the decision that we feel is best. Understanding everybody’s wants from your group and the group outside, but we need make the decision that we feel is best for Drew and the team. At that time, we will.”
In a less than ideal scenario, Lock would have an opportunity to prove that he has the potential to become the Broncos franchise quarterback.