Broncos QB Drew Lock has deck stacked against him

As mandatory minicamp concludes with a field day, the Denver Broncos will take their silly quarterback competition into training camp.

The fact that this competition between Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater exists tells you that the Broncos do not believe Lock is the quarterback of the future. Denver is not on the fence; they have moved on from Lock.

The competition exists because they have nothing to lose by letting Lock compete and seeing if there is enough improvement to sway their decision.

I think Lock should be the starter with Bridgewater as the experienced backup, similar to the Brian Griese and Gus Frerotte combination the Broncos deployed for the 2000 season. Griese made a vast improvement that season, which earned him a spot in the Pro Bowl. In the end, Griese went down to injury, but Frerotte kept the momentum going and Denver made the playoffs.

It doesn’t matter that I think Lock should start. It doesn’t matter that some fans think Lock should or shouldn’t start. What matters is what the Broncos think, and they’ve actually already told us through their actions.

With this pointless quarterback competition, the Broncos have told us they don’t believe in Lock.

Lock isn’t going to have to win this job; he’s going to have to take it. This competition isn’t the Broncos telling Lock, “We believe in you,” it’s them saying, “It’s your last chance to change our mind.”

Lock’s poor performance in 2020 has been blamed, by some, on the lack of an offseason and preseason to learn Pat Shurmur’s offense.  Some would call these reasons; others would call them excuses.

It’s clear Denver does not think these are good enough reasons for Lock’s 2020 struggles. As far as the Broncos are concerned, the accountability for the 2020 season is being placed solely on Lock. They aren’t buying the excuses others had offered up.

To Lock’s credit, he’s never made excuses. But at the end of the day, the Broncos believe Lock was the issue, not the circumstances surrounding the 2020 season.

If the Broncos felt Lock had external factors working against him that contributed to his poor play, then he wouldn’t be competing for his job against a guy like Bridgewater.

Bridgewater is Case Keenum and Kyle Orton, which is no man’s land. He does nothing for the immediate success of the Broncos and does absolutely zero for the long-term. Bridgewater is a quality backup that has found himself in a position to be a starter.

This competition favors Bridgewater way more than it does Lock. He doesn’t need the reps like Lock.  Bridgewater is very competent under center. He won’t blow your hair back with a big play, but he also won’t infuriate you with a stupid turnover.

Lock needs every rep he can get to improve. Splitting the reps takes away from Lock’s opportunity to improve. He is clearly unpolished and, at times, a struggling quarterback. How is he expected to beat out a solid veteran with half the reps?

I’m not sure how the Broncos expect Lock to win. They probably don’t expect Lock to win. The quarterback competition is nothing more than, “Bridgewater will be the starter unless Lock surprises everybody.” Taking less reps doesn’t hurt Bridgewater; he can step in and play at any time. So, the Broncos might as well give Lock one last look. They have nothing to lose.

The Broncos have lost faith in Lock, and it’s up to him to steal the job. He has to be undeniable in comparison to Bridgewater. We’ve seen it before from Lock. When he came off the bench as a rookie and finished 4-1 as a starter, Lock left the Broncos no choice but to make him the starter moving forward. He’s done it before, and he’ll have to do it again.

The Broncos have stacked the deck against Lock. They don’t buy into the excuses for Lock’s struggles. Denver seems to love going safe these days, and they might believe Bridgewater is safe. In 2011, Orton seemed safe, and he would have beaten Tim Tebow in a quarterback competition.

In the end, Tebow proved to be the better option. Safe isn’t a sure thing, and the Broncos should just let it ride with Lock.