Broncos GM George Paton says that QB Drew Lock is talented and can develop but also that competition will likely be added

Pro Football Talk’s Peter King talked to newly hired Broncos General Manager George Paton this weekend and we finally have a little nugget on what he plans to do at the quarterback position.

As we all know, the Broncos currently have Drew Lock as their starting quarterback. He is coming off a disappointing 2020 season where he was tied for the league lead in interceptions and was in the bottom tier of every other important statistical category out there. However, he did finish the season on a high note and had two of the best games of his career vs. the Panthers and Raiders so there are some reasons to feel optimistic about his future.

His 2020 performance has led to some debate about his future with the team. This was amplified when now former General Manager John Elway, who was Lock’s biggest supporter on the team, stepped down from his role. Add in Head Coach Vic Fangio’s saying that Lock “can be the starter” in 2021, but then adding “He will need to improve” and well, a new General Manager calling the shots and it’s fair to question if Lock will actually be the guy next season.

Well, we finally heard from George Paton on the situation and he really gave a non-answer or I will call it, “General Manager speak”. He told Pro Football Talk’s Peter King that Lock is “talented” and that he thinks he can develop, but also that competition will be added at every position.

“Elway hadn’t succeeded in replacing Manning, and with Drew Lock at quarterback now, Paton—who has full control over personnel with Elway stepping aside—will take some time to analyze Lock and the QB market before knowing how they’ll handle the position. “Drew’s talented, and I think he can develop,” Paton said. “Obviously, you want to bring in competition to every position.”

So, some good news for Lock and some bad news for Lock. Also, nothing that none of us didn’t already know.

The biggest question we have for the Broncos heading into the 2021 offseason is the level of competition being added at the quarterback position. Will it be someone like Andy Dalton. Nick Foles, or Ryan Fitzpatrick. A veteran who won’t really push to start and will serve as the backup plan if Lock fizzles out next season. Or, will they target a Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan, or someone else, a veteran who you bring in to start and give Lock some more time to develop. Or finally, do we see a high draft pick used on the quarterback position and let the two young guys battle it out in Training Camp this summer?

I believe we will see Paton look into all angles at improving the quarterback position, but the level of competition they go after will truly give us an idea of how he and likely the coaching staff feels about Lock.

Remember, Fangio and the rest of the Broncos coaching staff are coaching for their jobs in 2021. If they don’t feel like Lock will lead them to the postseason, I believe they will push for a veteran like Stafford to be acquired. However, if they decide to go with Lock, it will show their confidence in him and his development. So, it will obviously be interesting to see how it all plays out.