This year has been quite the roller coaster ride for Drew Lock.
He started strong against Tennessee but then was injured in Week 2 and sat out a month. Lock then struggled in two games before enjoying one of the best performances of his career in the comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8. Up and down he’s gone, turning the ball over in every, single start this year but also playing a near-perfect game in the win over the Carolina Panthers (149.5 rating).
And even on Sunday, when his teammates dropped many catchable passes, Lock enjoyed his season-high in terms of overall grade (75.5) and passing grade (75.0) according to Pro Football Focus.
Lock’s displayed he has all the physical attributes to play QB at the NFL level. He has a big arm, he’s mobile enough to escape tackles and gain yards, and he’s unafraid to attack defenses. Plus, teammates like him and so do many fans.
Some are convinced he’s “the guy” of the future while others would like to see him refine his game and focus on ball security. But most everyone can agree he needs to be more consistent going forward.
Still, with one game to go in this lost season for the 5-10 Broncos, Lock has earned the right to continue to prove himself going into 2021. What we know for sure is the young quarterback has to start limiting his turnovers — Lock’s 15 interceptions lead the NFL — and his accuracy must improve if he wants to be “the guy” as well (57.0 completion percentage is 36th in the league).
And while he will only be starting his 18th game when 2021 kicks off, Lock won’t be guaranteed to start the entire season, either. If he struggles mightily like we’ve seen during stretches of this season, expect Lock to be benched around midseason next year.
Of course, that can only happen if the Broncos have another quarterback to turn to.
Many believe the Broncos will look towards adding a veteran, free agent quarterback this offseason to compete with Lock and push him toward being a better player. The old adage is that competition brings the best out the best and worst in people; if and when it happens, quarterback will again be in the spotlight in the Mile High City.
So, who could Denver bring in to compete with Lock?
Three veteran names which have cropped up recently (according to Benjamin Allbright) are Nick Foles, Gardner Minshew and/or Andy Dalton.
And really, each of them brings something different to the table if Denver signed them this offseason.
Foles is unique because he’s the only one to win a Super Bowl. Rewind to 2017 and Carson Wentz was “the guy” in Philadelphia. But Wentz injured his knee and Foles was forced into the starting lineup in Week 13. Foles took over and led the Eagles to a 2-1 record down the stretch while playing very well in the playoffs (6 TD, 0 INT) as Philadelphia won their first-ever Super Bowl in 2018.
Simply, if the Broncos want to win in the playoffs — which has to be the goal — Foles is the most experienced on the list.
In terms of overall experience, that lands on Dalton who’s 33 years old. And, if we’re talking about the quarterback who’s enjoyed the most success this year, it’s Dalton, too.
When Dak Prescott went down with that horrific ankle injury, Dalton was there to step in and carry the Cowboys’ offense. And while he hasn’t been explosive, Dalton has been serviceable, going 4-4 with 1,926 yards, 14 touchdowns and 7 INTs.
And finally, there’s Minshew, who’s the youngest option of the three and a wildcard to say the least. Minshew took the NFL by storm as a rookie in 2019, going 6-6 with 3,271 yards and 21 touchdowns compared to 6 INTs. He’s also mobile, rushing for 344 yards last year, too. But this year has been a disaster for him in Jacksonville, going 1-7 in eight starts and Mike Glennon is expected to start this week.
However, thanks to his age (24 years old) Minshew may be the most attractive because unlike Dalton and Foles — who would be one-to-two year band-aids — Minshew is young enough to be a new option as “the guy” moving forward.
Still others believe the Broncos should trade for veteran Matt Stafford, which would take either a high draft pick and a starter, or possibly one or the other. Stafford will also be 33 next year, is banged up this season and will carry a $33 million cap hit in 2021. So, of the four options listed here, he’s the least likely option.
What will Denver do?
If they’re smart, they’ll bring in Foles, Dalton or Minshew and see how Lock reacts when another could-be starter is on the team. It could be enough to help elevate Lock to a consistently solid level, or the pressure could make him shrink.
Either way, it would be beneficial to the Broncos for three reasons; insurance in case Lock is injured for a third straight year, it would challenge Lock and the new guy could become “the guy” moving forward.