The Broncos continue to make life difficult for Drew Lock

The Broncos 50/50 quarterback competition moves into high gear today, as the team hits the practice field for the first time during their 2021 training camp. It’ll be the latest way in which the organization has stunted the growth of Drew Lock.

It’ll all started at the beginning. From the moment he was selected early in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Missouri quarterback has been forced to overcome obstacles placed in his path by the Broncos.

First, they robbed him of reps during his initial training camp. Instead of having the rookie sitting No. 2 on the depth chart behind Joe Flacco, Denver insisted that Kevin Hogan get second-team reps for practice after practice.

Anyone who watched the quarterbacks knew Hogan wasn’t the better player. Anyone with common sense knew that only one of them had a shot at being the team’s QB of the future.

Nonetheless, Vic Fangio made the youngster “earn it,” putting Lock behind the veteran early in camp. It was a waste of valuable time.

That became even more apparent when Lock was injured in third game of the preseason. He’d finally leapfrogged Hogan on the depth chart, only to miss time due to a bad thumb.

The injury led to another misstep by the Broncos. Foolishly thinking that Flacco was the answer, the team tried to stash Lock on injured reserve.

They didn’t want to take up a roster spot with the rookie quarterback, so they buried him on a list that prevented him from being around his teammates, attending meetings and walking out onto the practice field. It was a silly, short-sighted decision.

When Flacco got hurt in Week 8, the Broncos still didn’t bring Lock back from IR. They kept him there for three more weeks, languishing in anonymity.

Finally after 11 games, when the QB had been relegated to doing virtual reality work away from the rest of the team, Lock was brought back. He was immediately thrust into the starting lineup.

Despite this lack of preparation, the quarterback played well. In fact, he provided a glimmer of hope, guiding a team that was 3-8 when he took over to a 4-1 record down the stretch.

Inexplicably, the Broncos didn’t leave well enough alone. Instead of rewarding the offensive coordinator who prepped Lock on short notice and helped the inexperienced QB find early success, Denver fired Rich Scangarello.

They replaced him with Pat Shurmur, a coach with virtually zero track record of developing young quarterbacks. Somehow, the Broncos thought this would work.

The transition was stunted, of course, by COVID. Lock didn’t get an offseason to learn Shurmur’s system, nor did he get a normal training camp or any preseason to get comfortable with his new OC.

So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Lock struggled in 2020. His good games, like the comeback against the Chargers and four touchdown passes at the Panthers, were offset by ugly moments, like four interceptions at the Raiders and leading the league in picks.

The disjointed offseason was offered as an excuse for the Broncos 5-11 record. It was put forth to give Shurmur a free pass for putting together one of the NFL’s worst offenses.

But Lock didn’t get the same benefit of the doubt. Unlike everyone else at Dove Valley, he was held accountable for his poor performance.

As a result, the Broncos brought in competition. Teddy Bridgewater will be on hand to push Lock for the starting job.

That means each QB will get 50 percent of the first-team reps. In other words, Lock once again won’t get the benefit of a normal offseason, training camp and preseason.

This makes zero sense. It’s madness. The entire situation is just ridiculous.

Rather than give Lock the best chance at success, they’re one again stunting his growth. The team is putting another obstacle on the path of his development.

And for what? To get a look at a QB that might be slightly better. Maybe. To potentially go with a guy who could help them flirt with .500, as those that’s some sort of accomplishment.

It’s preposterous, but it’s par for the course at Dove Valley. The Broncos have made misstep after misstep since Peyton Manning retired.

But none of their blunders are as egregious as the way they’ve mishandled Drew Lock. It’s hard to imagine any quarterback succeeding under such a bungled scenario.

It’d be interesting to see what Lock could do if he was given a fair shake. The Broncos don’t seem eager to give him one, however.

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