The Broncos issues run much deeper than Drew Lock

The frustration about the Denver Broncos for fans is all about a seemingly endless journey through a desert of losing. It’s been five seasons of irrelevance in Broncos Country. That’s not a normal feeling for those of us who didn’t experience the failures of the 1960s.

Anyone who thought that Drew Lock was going to lead this team to wins over the Chiefs this season was lying to themselves. He was a second-round draft pick. He was, for lack of a better term, a project QB.

Now we find ourselves questioning anything and everything about this team. About this QB, and about the future. But the truth is that Lock isn’t the answer to the problems in Denver.

I doubt that Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields would be either.

The Grand Canyon sized gap between the Broncos and the Chiefs should be the last thing any of us are thinking about. I used to think the Broncos were a couple steps away. Now I know, they are a plane ride to a rocket ship leaving for Mars away from competing with the Chiefs.

So, what then? What should be our realistic expectations for this team? One of the youngest in the NFL with a second-round project QB. What can we truly expect from them? What will come of their game against the Los Angeles Chargers?

Improvement would be nice. Has there been improvement? Not much. I’m not going to get into analytics, or pull up a bunch of stats. My eyes tell me that Lock and the offense have not been very good.

The only team they can score on is the Jets. That’s not a high bar. Pieces are good. Phillip Lindsay is proving to be invaluable. Garett Bolles might actually be a starting LT in the NFL.

Speaking of the OLine, even with the struggles, I still feel good about Dalton Risner and Lloyd Cushenberry anchoring the middle. And Graham Glasgow is still good at his job.

The WR group is solid. Tim Patrick is proving he can mix it up with Courtland Sutton when he comes back, and Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler are going to be OK.

Tight End? Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam could be one of the most talented TE duos in the league by this time next season.

That’s the point though. Next season. We have lived in this purgatory of irrelevance for so long that it sucks to have to wait another year. But that just might be where this team is.

I don’t like it. I want success now. We all do. The problem is that just because we want it doesn’t mean it’s going to come right away.

Would a change at QB speed that up? Maybe, if you are guaranteeing Lawrence or Fields join the team. What about a change at OC? Pat Shurmur has struggled, but switching constantly hurts the development of the project QB you have right now.

So Vic Fangio needs to go? Um, his defense is still one of the best in the league. Starting over there is still taking steps backwards hoping for forward momentum.

Fire Tom McMahon? Yes. Won’t change anything, but it would make me happy.

Honestly, we can go round and round looking for a way to fix this trash heap, but in the end, nothing is going to change. The Chiefs are a hurdle that’s 100ft high right now. It’s not that much different for most of the NFL. So pump the brakes on your panic mode.

If it happens against a team like the Chargers, then you can freak out. Know thyself. And right now, Broncos Country, thyself is a 5 to 7 win team with a lot of upside, but a long ride to Mars.