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It’s another day on Mile High Report, which means we have another quarterback topic ready for the community to talk about in the comments section below. I know they all love and appreciate me for it. Today it’s all about the less desirable option, to me anyway, of running it back with Drew Lock in 2021 and bringing in a veteran quarterback to compete with him for the starting job.
The first guy on that list is long-time Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, Andy Dalton. He is done with his one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this season.
Player Profile
Height: 6-2
Weight: 222 pounds
Age: 33 years old
Experience: 11 seasons
Why it makes sense
If the goal is to bring someone in that could push Lock and maybe even beat him outright for the job, then Dalton might just be the guy for the job there. He came in to start for the Cowboys last season after Dak Prescott went down with an injury and in nine starts put up far superior numbers than did Drew Lock.
For comparison’s sake, let’s take a look at the two quarterbacks in 2020.
Lock vs. Dalton
| Player | Starts | Record | Comp | Att | Cmp% | Yards | TD | INT | Sacks | Fmb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Starts | Record | Comp | Att | Cmp% | Yards | TD | INT | Sacks | Fmb |
| Andy Dalton | 9 | 4-5 | 216 | 333 | 64.90% | 2170 | 14 | 8 | 24 | 2 |
| Drew Lock | 13 | 4-9 | 254 | 443 | 57.30% | 2933 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 8 |
It would seem Dalton traded sacks for interceptions here, but overall he was clearly the more efficient quarterback between the two last season.
If the plan is to run it back with Lock, then adding a seasoned veteran like Dalton in the mix would at least give this team hope that there might be something good that comes out of all when Week 1 arrives. Whether or not Lock ends up being a legit starter in this league is a question that is unanswered for many, but adding competition will either help him along or usher him out the door that much quicker. It’s a test that needs to happen in 2021.
Why it doesn’t make sense
The statistical comparison set aside, Dalton was scary bad early on. He led the Cowboys to a 1-4 record while throwing six interceptions. It was bad, but he finished the season strong with three wins in the final four with 7 touchdowns to just two interceptions.
That’s part of it, but the other part is a simple phrase of “why though?” to bringing in a low end starter to compete with Drew Lock for the job. If that’s the only option you have left, just go all in on Lock and let 2021 be a waste or a salvation. There isn’t a scenario where I think Andy Dalton comes in and becomes the savior of the franchise, so why even bother with this exercise in futility?
Final Thoughts
I’m on the fence with the idea of bringing in Andy Dalton to compete with Drew Lock. If the Broncos miss out on the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, then they really have few other options out there to improve at the position.
It would probably be smart for them to go after Dalton, but as a fan my expectations for the season would be marginally higher than they are right now with the roster they have. If he ends up being about as better than Lock as he was in 2020, then maybe Denver wins another couple of games than they would have with Lock. That’s not moving the needle enough for me.
What do you think Broncos Country?