Development of Drew Lock
After years of dealing with failed attempts to develop other young talents, Denver finally settled on their true franchise quarterback in the form of Drew Lock. The former gunslinger from the University of Missouri enjoyed some substantial development time behind the aging arm of Joe Flacco, but in the final five games, the time came for their blue-chip cornerstone to prove his worth.
Through those five starts, Lock impressed in many areas; while he barely cracked 1,000 yards, he did throw seven touchdowns and had a TD:INT ratio better than 2:1. Completing almost 65% of his passes also served to disprove those scouts who believed his big arm overshadowed his accuracy issues during his career with the Missouri Tigers. While the coaching staff seemed hesitant to fully hand Lock the reins, much of that seems to be attributed to Rich Scangarello’s ineffectiveness during his first year as Denver’s offensive coordinator.
Lock’s mobility also displayed nicely in an offense that suffered through issues at both tackle spots; Garett Bolles has led the league in holding penalties for three consecutive seasons, while Ja’Wuan James suffered through multiple knee injuries after the Broncos made him the highest paid right tackle in the NFL. Only taking 5 sacks in 5 games, Lock displayed his propensity for bootlegs and rollouts, and even averaged four yards per carry when he did decide to tuck the ball and head downfield.
In his second season, Lock will be held to a higher standard. After seeing the meteoric rises of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson in their sophomore campaigns, and the much-expected leap of Kyler Murray supposedly coming this year as well, Lock will be looked to as the hand that can finally steady the rudder and bring Denver back to relevance. With more of a handle on the offense, new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will expect his young quarterback to become more comfortable with deeper shots down the field after only averaging 6.54 yards per attempt, a mark which would have finished 31st in the league in 2019. If the young man can continue to develop his progression reads and find chemistry with some of these next players, Denver’s offense will be a force to be reckoned with.
