The emergence of rookie quarterback Drew Lock not only has Broncos feeling (mile) high, but he’s also bringing their future into focus.
It wasn’t too long ago that the thought of a truly competitive Denver Broncos team felt multiple years away.
After another near disastrous season in the Mile High City, John Elway was on the hot seat, Vic Fangio looked overwhelmed in his first year on the job, and the remaining few remnants from the team’s Super Bowl years looked either finished or ready to jump ship.
Then Drew Lock entered the picture.
These days, the Broncos faithful are starting to believe once again. They have good reason. It’s hard not to be swayed by the (appropriate) cockiness of their rookie quarterback. Lock was brimming with self-confidence even before his on-field performance validated the swagger. Given the results in the standings over the last two weeks, fans are no longer hanging their heads in the shadow of bigger and better rivals in the AFC West. In fact, they hope to topple them soon.
Competitive again?
If you’re laughing at the idea that the Broncos could be formidable again in 2020, we won’t blame. Only those who’ve watched Lock and company up close in the last two weeks would be clued in to the possibilities. Before now, the Broncos only gave you good reason to change the channel in 2019.
Ever since Peyton Manning called it quits after the 2015 season, the Broncos have employed a miserable carousel of characters at the game’s most important position. Elway, a Hall of Fame quarterback himself, showed absolutely zero ability to identify greatness under center these last few years. Every attempt to improve the position backfired. From first round investments (Paxton Lynch) to late round flyers (Trevor Siemian) to veteran imports (Case Keenum, Joe Flacco), every player proved to be a bust in Denver.
Over the last three years, Broncos offense have ranked 22nd, 27th and 24th in total points. Between Manning’s final game and Lock’s first game, Broncos quarterbacks have thrown 65 touchdowns and 55 interceptions (in 59 games). Only twice in that entire span did their offense put up 30 or more points in a single game—twice in 59 games. (Note: Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs did that in his first two starts.) Even four years removed from Manning, the Broncos looked just as bad offensively as they did after he first retired—a startling lack of progress.
The misery only spread from there. The Broncos have had one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines during that same amount of time. The running game remained a joke until Phillip Lindsay emerged as an unexpected undrafted gem. Older players on a once fearsome defense either lost their productivity or decided to leave altogether. The few remaining pillars simply couldn’t get the job done.
While the Broncos have done well in the most recent draft or two to bring in some nice contributors, especially as they hit on pass rusher Bradley Chubb, the Broncos were once again headed toward a season to forget with a 3-8 record through 11 weeks in Fangio’s first season as supreme leader. Given the shifting winds of Broncos ownership and expected future changes, a short hook would be rare but not entirely unexpected if someone wanted to clean house after four years of frustration.
Lock-y in love
Whether or not everything has truly changed in a matter of two weeks remains to be seen, but emotionally, everything about the Denver Broncos certainly feels that way.
After losing four of five games, the Broncos have quietly won two games in a row and can still win out to even their season record at 8-8. While that doesn’t earn anything in the long run, that sort of midseason turnaround would not only seriously alter perceptions around the league about Denver but could also accelerate their attempts to rebuild this franchise the long haul.
In those games, which include impressive wins over the Chargers and Texans, Lock has ranged from steady to sensational. Compared to his predecessors, he looks like a superstar quarterback. Last week against Houston in his second professional start ever, Lock had 3 touchdown passes and the Broncos up 31-3 by halftime—against the leading team in the AFC South.
What’s most amazing is how well he’s performing when it matters most. Check out what Adam Malnati at Mile High Report had to say about Lock’s third down heroics:
Against the Texans, the Broncos were 5 for 8 on 3rd down conversions. Lock completed 5 of 5 passes, and converted on 4 of those passes scoring 2 touchdowns. In two games Lock is 15/18 on 3rd down for 149 yards and 4 touchdowns.
That’s a rookie performing best under pressure at the highest level. It’s also why the city is so excited.
The future is here
One thing is more true than anything else in the NFL: if you’re set at quarterback, everything else is much easier.
Before Drew Lock’s emergence, the Broncos were likely looking at losing cornerback Chris Harris and defensive lineman Derek Wolfe in free agency. The still productive veterans had little reason to believe they could win anything else in Denver beyond what they already had. With some decent football left in them, they were likely ready to jump ship for a likelier path to Super Bowl glory. Now, they have reason to believe that, if they stay, they can finish their respective careers with a team they already know and love.
Even more important, Denver now looks like a better destination for other free agents. Denver has nearly $67 million in projected cap space to spend in 2020 with some nice young players to build around beyond lock—including Lindsay, wide receiver Courtland Sutton, offensive lineman Dalton Risner, tight end Noah Fant, cornerback Davontae Harris, and linebacker Alexander Johnson. Von Miller is also still in place alongside Chubb, giving them one of the league’s best 1-2 pass rushing tandems.
Give this front office another offseason to shore up weaknesses and the roster another year to grasp Fangio’s concepts and you have every reason to believe the Broncos could be an ascending team in the AFC. Without Lock’s performance in these last two weeks, this fan base was defeated with no real reason to hope any time soon. It might be a short sample size, but Lock looks like the real deal so far. If so, Denver’s long-term plans are now attainable in the near-present, an accelerated timeline for which they have a Missouri product to thank.