Are you mocking me: what if the Broncos don’t know about Drew Lock?

It’s been a few weeks since we worked though a mock offseason. Last time the Broncos were coming off an exhilarating victory over Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. While Drew Lock had a couple of blunders, he looked far better than his stats would indicate thanks to some awful dropped touchdowns.

Since then, it’s been more bad than good for the Broncos’ young passer. The raw numbers out of the Chargers and Falcons games are encouraging if you can overlook the slow starts or tape. They’re also sandwiched between two hopeless outings against the the Crème de la crème of the AFC West. It isn’t just that Lock looked bad against both the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders, he looked lost.

The good news is there are other quarterbacks who struggled early and have gone on to some modicum of success in the NFL. Thanks to Mile High Report’s Joe Mahoney, we can look at how Lock’s first starts compare to every other quarterback since 2011.

The bad news is finding out if Lock is more Ryan Tannehill than Blake Bortles is going to take time. That’s easy enough if he finds a way to show some encouraging progress over these last seven games, but what if he doesn’t?

In this scenario, I want to dig into the 2021 situation I’m most afraid of. What if Lock doesn’t improve and Elway does little to upgrade at the position anyway?

Franchised

Garett Bolles - Left Tackle

Extended

Justin Simmons - Safety (4 year contract- $14.8 APY)

Retained

Phillip Lindsay - Running back (2nd round tender)

Alexander Johnson - Linebacker (2nd round tender)

Von Miller - Edge (option)

Cut

Jurrell Casey - Defensive Lineman

A.J. Bouye - Cornerback

Kareem Jackson - Safety

Jeff Driskel - Quarterback

What about the QB question?

John Elway spends the season ending press conference talking about accountability and how the Broncos must improve on offense. He goes on to trade a 3rd round pick for Sam Darnold and talks about how the former 3rd overall pick will compete with Lock. The vast majority of Broncos’ Country sips the Kool Aid and I spend the better part of March studying Darnold’s tape. Mile High Report has three or four different articles digging into who is to blame for the Trojan’s failures in the big apple while local media outlets cling to his 7-6 record in 2019 and a 42-40 touchdown to interception ratio.

What about the rest of Free Agency?

With half the league working through the Covid-19 cap hell, the Broncos stand pat. Elway and his sycophants spout off about how young the offense was and how injuries derailed a talented defense. The lone big move is bringing in the 31-year old former Bear Akiem Hicks to take over for the departed Shelby Harris. Every other move is at the margins of the roster, which spurs heated discussions about the Bowlen family drama and a need for real ownership. The talk takes a backseat at the end of April.

T.1.25 Jalen Mayfield - Right Tackle - Michigan

Elway jumps at an extra second round pick when the Jaguars call about moving up for North Dakota State’s Trey Lance. The slide down the board from 11 to 25 is a long one and the less devout draftniks in Broncos’ Country fall asleep. They’re shaken awake by the thunderous cries from tackle bros the world over as Elway takes a Wolverine to shore up the depth behind Ja’Wuan James and potentially replace him in 2022.

2.43. Tre’von Moehrig - Safety - TCU

Draft Twitter is crushed after Dave Gettleman and Marty Hurney scoop up Dylan Moses and Nick Bolton before the Elway has a chance at either. The Fan is already blasting Elway for missing on linebacker yet again after passing on Devin Bush for Noah Fant. The rationale among debate Georgia’s Tyson Campbell vs. Stanford’s Paul Adebo.

Fangio’s downright giddy after his boss hands him a Horned Frog.

T.2.46. Jayson Oweh - ED - Penn State

Even after Von Miller returns from his freak injury to help the Broncos win two games to end the year, Elway sees a 32-year old with two scary lower body ailments on the odometer. The Broncos talk about a plan to throw Oweh on the field with Von and Bradley Chubb. Fans begin to drool when they catch the Nittany Lions’ bend and burst.

Your Broncos’ News

Denver Broncos say Week 11 will be last home game with fans in 2020 - Mile High Report

Due to the rising cases in COVID-19, the Denver Broncos will not be allowing fans to attend game for the rest of 2020.

Fan confidence reaching new lows as Denver Broncos season goes awry - Mile High Report

The Denver Broncos 2020 train has completely derailed after back-to-back losses and poor quarterback play from Drew Lock.

Blame for the terrible offensive output against Raiders is almost solely on Drew Lock - Mile High Report

Don’t blame Pat Shurmur or the offensive line. Lock owns this stinker.

Miami Dolphins at Denver Broncos final injury update: Week 11 - Mile High Report

The Denver Broncos could be without quarterback Drew Lock and tight end Noah Fant against the Miami Dolphins. Both were listed as questionable on Friday.

Can the Denver Broncos give Tua Tagovailoa problems with the Dolphins? - Mile High Report

I spoke with The Phinsider’s Kevin Nogle to find out.

QB Index, Week 11: Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers reign

Four QBs came in below Lock.

Individual Rank: Bhanpuri: 26 | Blair: 25 | Filice: 29 | Parr: 29t

NFL News

The most and least predictable NFL defenses in pass coverage in 2020 | NFL News, Rankings and Statistics | PFF

The 2020 NFL season has been rough on defenses, with the average offense generating positive expected points per play through nine weeks for the first time since 2014 and only the second time during the PFF era (since 2006). Passing has been even more of a boon for offenses, with the average pass play now twice as valuable in 2020 as it was in 2019.

Saints expected to start Taysom Hill at QB vs. Falcons

Sean Payton is finally ready to give the man he’s compared to Steve Young a test-drive at starting QB Sunday against the Falcons. Ian Rapoport reports the Saints are expected to start Taysom Hill on Sunday after giving him starter reps in practice this

Saints place Drew Brees (ribs) on injured reserve, QB will miss at least next three games

The New Orleans Saints have placed Drew Brees on injured reserve, the team announced Friday.