The Broncos continue to have no plan for quarterback Drew Lock
Nov 11, 2019, 1:12 PM
Coming off their bye week, the Broncos faced one giant question as they returned to work on Monday: Would Drew Lock join his teammates on the practice field this week?
The rookie quarterback has been sidelined throughout the season, languishing on injured reserve while recovering from a thumb sprain. As a result, he’s been unable to do much of anything, including practice with the team.
Despite being eligible to return in Week 7, Lock has remained on the sidelines the past month. Today, it was announced that he’ll finally return, four weeks later than expected.
Vic Fangio said Drew Lock will return to practice this week.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) November 11, 2019
Initially, Broncos Country breathed a collective sigh of relief at this news. But as the head coach continued to discuss the situation, optimism that the Broncos finally had a plan for how to get the rookie quarterback onto the field went up in smoke.
Vic Fangio said it's not set that Lock will definitely come off IR. Asked what he needs to see from Lock to make the determination, Fangio said: "Good quarterback play. That he belongs."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) November 11, 2019
Perhaps this is just a motivational tactic, making sure Lock doesn’t think his spot on the active roster will be given to him. That seems a little unnecessary, given that the rookie is probably chomping at the bit to get back on the field, but there’s a chance that’s the idea behind this notion. But it doesn’t make it any less silly.
Are the Broncos really considering not playing their rookie quarterback if he doesn’t perform well while running the scout team during practice? Would Denver actually not put the remaining games during a lost season to the best possible use because they aren’t happy with the way Lock performs drills?
That seems very shortsighted. From a big-picture perspective, the Broncos have to see what Lock can do in actual game action this season. To go into next year without any idea whether or not the second-round pick can play at the NFL level would be irresponsible.
But the madness didn’t end there. Fangio also explained that one other factor will determine whether or not Lock is added to the active roster.
Fangio said the play of Brandon Allen factors into the decision of whether to activate Drew Lock.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) November 11, 2019
Holy smokes. The Broncos might miss the opportunity to get Lock some valuable game experience if a player who has virtually zero chance of being the team’s quarterback of the future has a good couple of games? That’s beyond irresponsible; it’s outrageous.
The fact of the matter is that Lock should’ve never gone on IR. Drew Brees had surgery on his throwing hand and returned to the field in five weeks; the Broncos rookie wasn’t going to need seven-plus weeks to recover from a sprained thumb.
But the Broncos felt like they needed to use that final roster spot for someone who might be able to help them win early in the season. They’ve burned two places on the 53-man roster for Bryce Callahan and Ja’Wuan James, two players who’ve made little to no contribution this season, but couldn’t possibly keep their rookie quarterback on the active roster so he could get on the practice field as soon as possible. That was bad decision.
Once Lock was on injured reserve, however, Denver needed to have a plan for his return. He should’ve started practicing in Week 7 and been activated for Week 9, no matter what happened. But the Broncos didn’t do that; instead, they convinced themselves they were in the playoff race and might need to bring back wide receiver Tim Patrick or running back Theo Riddick for a stretch run.
As a result, Lock wasn’t available to take over when Joe Flacco was lost for the season with a neck injury. The rookie wasn’t even ready to become the team’s backup. So, the Broncos were forced to turn to Allen, with rookie Brett Rypien serving as the No. 2 QB, as a bridge between Flacco and Lock.
Now, the Broncos are considering making that a bridge to nowhere. If Allen plays well, he could keep Lock off the field all season long.
In other words, the plan for Lock is still TBD. That’s another way of saying there isn’t one.
Lock should’ve returned to practice today. He should be activated and named the starter for the Broncos game against the Chargers on Dec. 1. What happens in practice shouldn’t matter. What happens the next two weeks, in road games at Minnesota and Buffalo, shouldn’t matter. The plan should be set in stone.
Instead, the Broncos have given themselves some wiggle room. They’ve created a scenario where they can decide to keep Lock on the shelf.
That would be a gigantic mistake. It would be a wasted opportunity. Why Denver has positioned themselves to potentially make that gaffe is silly.
But that’s what happens when a team fails to have a plan in place, which the Broncos clearly don’t with Drew Lock.
