The Broncos are wise to not sign a veteran backup quarterback
May 4, 2020, 6:16 AM
“They’ve got a plan. It seems like it revolves around me.”
That’s what Drew Lock said during a surprise appearance on “The Drive” last Friday. While answering questions about the Broncos offense-heavy draft, the quarterback suggested that the organization is building around him.
They should be. He’s a potential franchise QB, which is near necessity if a team is going to be a perennial contender in the NFL. Finding one should be the first priority of every team.
That’s why it makes no sense for the Broncos to sign a veteran backup. The 2020 season should be all about finding out if Lock is the long-term answer, if he’s a franchise quarterback that can make Denver a contender year in and year out. Nothing else matters.
Would it be nice to have a winning record, ending the three-year run of sub-.500 seasons? Without a doubt. Would it be great to make a run at the playoffs and get back into the postseason for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50? Absolutely.
But those shouldn’t be the Broncos goals this season. If they happen, they need to be pleasant byproducts of determining what they do or don’t have in Lock.
If he’s as good as he was during the final five games of last season, then Denver will mostly likely end up breaking the string of losing seasons and have a shot at the playoffs. If he’s not, then at least they’ll know that fact, allowing them to move in another direction.
That answer is only going to come from turning the keys over to Lock and letting him run the show. For all 16 games, he should be at the helm, working his way through troubles and demonstrating how he can lead the team.
If the Broncos had a veteran quarterback on the roster, someone like Andy Dalton or Cam Newton or Case Keenum, they’d be tempted to turn to the more-seasoned quarterback when things got tough. And rest assured, that will occur this season.
As promising as Lock was last year, he’s still a young quarterback. It’s inevitable that he’s going to have bad games in 2020. There are going to be some Sundays where he struggles mightily, perhaps even being the reason the Broncos lose a game or two.
If there was another viable option to turn to at those junctures, Vic Fangio would be tempted to sit Lock and go with the veteran. In pursuit of a winning record or the playoffs, the head coach could be compelled to go with the more-reliable quarterback.
That’s not a criticism of Fangio; every head coach is wired that way. They’re all about winning now. They want to win the next game. They want to win this season.
He proved this last year. During his first campaign with the Broncos, the first-time head coach stuck with Joe Flacco way longer than he should of; it was painfully obvious to anyone who watched the Broncos offense that the former Super Bowl MVP was done. But Fangio would’ve kept trotting Flacco out there week after week if he hadn’t gotten hurt, with the misguided notion that the veteran gave them the best chance to win and kept them in contention for the postseason.
It’s why they kept Lock on the injured reserve list longer than was necessary. They had no intention of turning the reins over to the then-rookie, not while they were still in contention. And Lock most likely would’ve never played if Flacco hadn’t been injured.
That’s why if given the same choice in 2020, Fangio can’t be trusted to not do the same thing again. He can’t even be given the option of benching Lock in favor of a veteran.
A slightly better short-term option shouldn’t be on the table. The long-term view suggests that sticking with Lock, letting him take his lumps and show whether or not he’s up to the task, is the smart way to go.
After all, what’s the point of going 9-7 and squeaking into the playoffs with a veteran quarterback? Where is that ultimately leading?
The goal is to build a championship-caliber team. That’s only going to happen with a franchise quarterback at the helm. Any time there is someone playing that position that isn’t currently in that category or has the potential of reaching that status, it’s a waste of time. It’s burning through games that could’ve been used to find and develop that player.
The Broncos are a team on the rise, one that has a bright future. But they’re still a year or two away from being a legit contender.
They aren’t competing for the Super Bowl this year with Newton, Dalton, Winston or any of the other veterans that have been or still are on the free-agent market. That’s why having those players on the roster would be an exercise in futility.
Would they provide a better option than Jeff Driskel if Lock gets hurt and misses a couple of games? Of course. It’s impossible to argue otherwise. But that luxury isn’t worth the potential downside of having them on the roster.
The gamble of not having a viable backup quarterback is worth it because of how detrimental it would be to have a veteran looming behind Lock. No one needs a throw-by-throw breakdown of the “competition” for the job during training camp. The Broncos don’t need murmurs that a change should be made as soon as Lock stumbles. And Fangio doesn’t need the option of turning to steadier hand when the season hits a rough patch.
Right now, the veteran options are probably better quarterbacks than Lock. They’re certainly superior to Driskel. But that’s beside the point.
None of them are leading the Broncos to a championship. And none of them are making Denver a perennial contender.
Drew Lock has the potential to do both of those things. Until he proves that he can’t reach those goals, he should be the team’s quarterback. Every week. No questions asked.
That’s the plan that should revolve around Lock in 2020.
