Drew Lock could make his first post-Broncos NFL start on Sunday

For Drew Lock in Seattle, it hasn’t quite worked out as the former Broncos quarterback had hoped — at least so far.

Dealt to the Seahawks in March 2022 as part of the Russell Wilson trade, Lock lost a 2022 training-camp quarterback competition to veteran Geno Smith. Then he watched as Smith authored a career season, earning a Pro Bowl nod while guiding Seattle back to the postseason.

Smith hasn’t missed a start since. But he is listed as questionable with a groin injury, putting Lock in line for a spot start for Seattle against the San Francisco 49ers.

Seattle held Smith out of Friday’s practice.

“If this comes to pass, he is as ready as he can get,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said of Lock.

The last previous start for Drew Lock came in his final game as a Bronco: on Jan. 8, 2022 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Lock started the final three games of the 2021 season in relief of Teddy Bridgewater, who went on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in Week 15 against Cincinnati.

The Broncos lost that game — best remembered for a disastrous Lock fumble in the red zone in the fourth quarter — and then dropped the three games he started. He posted an 80.4 passer rating during his 2021 work.

After Lock’s final Denver start, then-coach Vic Fangio noted that the difference between the Broncos and their other AFC West rivals started with the gap at quarterback.

“Those other three teams have top-shelf quarterbacks, which is obvious to everybody,” Fangio said then. One day later, the Broncos dismissed the embattled coach.

The subsequent trade to Seattle brought Drew Lock some hope. It faded that summer. He saw relief work against the Giants and Rams earlier this year, but didn’t do much, going 4-of-12 for 66 yards with an interception and an 18.1 passer rating.

But now, there could be another chance for Lock.