QB or not QB, that is the question.

And in this instance, the full question is: Will Drew Lock continue to be the quarterback in the Mile High City?

As for now, the answer seems to be, “Yes, but he will face competition.”

Today, new Denver Broncos general manager George Paton and continuing head coach Vic Fangio met with the local media via Zoom to chat about the upcoming free agency period, the draft and the all-important quarterback position.

There’s no two ways about it: The Broncos have been shopping for a new quarterback this offseason. They were in the trade talks for Matthew Stafford before he was traded to the LA Rams, and the Broncos may or may not have been interested in trading for Carson Wentz. Plus, they’ve almost certainly reached out to the Houston Texans in the long-shot possibility Denver can trade for superstar Deshaun Watson.

Who can blame the Broncos, either? Raw stats and analytics alike show that Lock is a bottom-5 quarterback in the NFL.

Still, Paton went in and looked at the tape of Lock in his first two years, coming away impressed with the young man.

“I did a deep drive on Drew.[He’s] very talented,” Paton said on Thursday. “He was inconsistent at times and has a lot to work on, but I’ve spoken with Drew. I see him every day. He’s here early and he’s working. He really wants to be great. We’re always going to try and bring in competition to every position, the quarterback as well. I like the trek that Drew is on.”

Paton’s honesty and clarity is welcomed here. First, anyone who’s seen Lock play knows he’s been way too inconsistent to be considered “the guy.” At least, not yet. Passer rating isn’t the end-all, be-all but Lock has only three games with a 100-plus rating and six games in which his rating was 60 or below. The other nine starts have been mediocre-at-best. And, considering that mind-boggling inconsistency, the Broncos must bring in competition this year.

“We’re always looking to bring in players at all positions that can raise the level of competition, and the quarterback is no different in that regard,” Fangio explained Thursday.

“Until we get—or until Drew proves to be the next great quarterback like the ones that the Denver franchise has been used to in years past or the ones certain teams around the league have, you guys know where they are and are used to, we’re going to always try and bring in competition.”

Until Lock is on the level of John Elway or Peyton Manning, the Broncos are going to continue to search for the next Elway/Manning to lead the offense.

And, while Fangio has seen plenty of Lock in person, Paton hasn’t. At least, not yet.

“I haven’t seen Drew live on the field. I’ve just seen the tape,” Paton explained. “There is so much that goes into that when evaluating a quarterback. I like to see them live. You’d like to see them in critical situations. You like to see the accuracy. How is he with his teammates? What is the leadership like?

“There is so much involved in evaluating quarterbacks. I look forward to evaluating Drew further and in person. He does have all of the traits you look for in a quarterback,” Paton finished.

Fangio also added, “But I have confidence that Drew can continue to improve.”

One way they can help Lock improve is by having Pat Shurmur call more play-action passes. Lock was far and away the best in the NFL when it came to benefiting from play-actions last year. While he threw a league-leading 15 interceptions last season, Lock threw 7 touchdowns compared to 0 picks while utilizing play-action passes.

Interestingly, the Broncos called play-actions only 20.77 percent of the time, with the league average being 24.1 percent.

One of those traits Lock has that Paton noticed is his athleticism and ability to break the pocket to try and make a play with his legs. He was one of the best in the NFL at avoiding sacks last year.

Lock also has a big arm and seems to be liked in the locker room, showing off charisma with his dancing on the sidelines and on the field.

But those physical traits can only go so far, and now’s the time for Lock to fine tune his abilities, to really work on his craft.

That means no more throwing picks into double coverage, and no more throwing balls off his back foot. It means processing more quickly and throwing the ball away after he’s escaped the pocket instead of forcing it into a covered receiver.

And, it will mean Lock will have to beat out competition. Possible signings include Tyrod Taylor, Nick Foles, Andy Dalton and more.

Game on.