Is Drew Lock the Quarterback John Elway Has Been Searching For?
Despite having a small sample size, Drew Lock has impressed the Denver Broncos' management team. Is he the franchise quarterback John Elway has been searching for? | Image: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
- John Elway has been searching for a quarterback that can lead the Broncos to glory for years and hoped his second-round pick, Drew Lock, could be the one.
- If you take how he played in five starts and translate his production over a 16-game season , it looks like Elway may have finally found his guy.
- But will fans be able to keep things in perspective, or will unrealistic expectations doom them much like they did Baker Mayfield and the Browns this year?
John Elway has been in dire need of a quarterback for most of his tenure as general manager and president of operations for the Denver Broncos. He found a short-term solution in Peyton Manning for a few years, but since Manning retired, he has been searching—and not having much luck.
Brock Osweiler was a bust. Paxton Lynch didn’t pan out. Trevor Siemian made for a great story, but he didn’t work out. Elway hoped he had found another short-term fix in Case Keenum and then Joe Flacco, but no dice.
This Drew Lock kid, though; Elway might have something in him.
Drew Lock’s Five Game Sample
A preseason thumb injury forced the Denver Broncos to wait on throwing rookie quarterback Drew Lock to the wolves. When the team officially activated off the IR on Nov. 30, they wasted no time getting him into the lineup.
He started the next day against the Los Angeles Chargers. It wasn’t a pretty start (18-28 for 134 yards and two touchdowns with one interception). But he did manage to maneuver the team into position for a game-winning 53-yard field goal as time expired.
As a follow up to winning his first start, he had his first 300+ yard game the following week (22-27 for 309 yards and three touchdowns with one interception). His efforts led to a 38-24 upset win over the Houston Texans.
Lock came down to Earth in his third start (18-40 for 208 yards and one interception) against the Kansas City Chiefs. His stat line wasn’t overly impressive in his final two starts of the season, but he did what matters most.
He led the team to wins (27-17 over the Lions and 16-15 over the Raiders).
But It’s Just Five Games
Lock played well over the last five games, but far from great. He did what matters most, of course (win games). As long as the team does that, nothing else matters. But when it comes to his long-term staying power, he will need to improve.
In his five starts, he failed to pass for even 200 yards in three of those games and wasn’t consistent with his accuracy. His completion percentage ranged from 45% against Kansas City to 81.5% against Houston.
The secondaries he faced had something to do with that. More time working within the offense and with his receivers should help with accuracy issues as well. But excuses can only be made for so long, though.
With how he played, fans will have expectations of him next season. If he doesn’t live up to them, winning games may not be enough to save him from their wrath.
