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Fan confidence in our SB Nation FanPulse Survey dipped to 24% after topping out near 40% for the last three-straight weeks. The drop wasn’t as bad as I expected, which is I might attribute to the rumors that a certain quarterback might be starting soon.
With the 42nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected quarterback Drew Lock out of Missouri. Now the rookie could get the first start of his career in Week 13 at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.
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Now if that isn’t something to at least be intrigued by and even excited about, you haven’t been watching Broncos football all year. At 3-8, the offense has continued to disappoint and it has mostly disappointed through the right arm of its starting quarterback - be it Joe Flacco or Brandon Allen. It is painfully clear that we’re going to be here until a franchise quarterback is found.
Here’s to hoping its Drew Lock!
On the Something Something Broncos podcast, we discussed Drew Lock quite a bit.
Finding out if he has a future in the NFL just feels vitally important to figure out before you enter the 2020 NFL Draft. You may have a mixed bag of results, but coaches might have an inkling of an idea of how well his game will translate long-term after five games. They’ll certainly know more than they would if he never sees the field.
If he shows enough potential in these five games, then that would free up John Elway to begin address some other glaring holes on the roster. We all expect Garett Bolles to be shown the door as soon as humanly possible, but there is also the issue at cornerback. Chris Harris Jr. was supposed to play the nickel position all year, but instead has been used on the other teams number one wide receiver mostly.
“Chris has done a good job,” Fangio said on Thursday. “Our original plan was for him to play nickel as you guys know from being here during camp, but that didn’t work out because of our corner position. He’s had to play exclusively at corner. We’ve put him on the other team’s best receiver most of the time. He’s handled it very well.”
While Harris has held is own for the most part, he has also been beaten a few times - much to the ire of fans who are quick to call him washed up. He has proven he can be the guy outside in most situations, which probably means he would have been elite at the nickel position.
Even so, how many guys will Elway re-sign? Justin Simmons may be at the top of his list, but then maybe Shelby Harris or Chris Harris or Derek Wolfe? So many uncertainties heading into this next offseason. Having quarterback not be one of them would be huge.
Bring on Drew Lock!