Drew Lock was given a chance to show he could the Broncos’ long-term answer at quarterback after being selected in the second-round of the 2018 draft, but he failed to seize the job over 18 starts in his first two seasons.
Lock’s run as the starter came to an end when the Broncos chose Teddy Bridgewater over him during training camp this summer, but he’ll get at least one more chance to show what he can do in the No. 1 role this weekend. Bridgewater is out after suffering a concussion and Lock will start in Las Vegas against the Raiders.
Lock’s three appearances in relief of Bridgewater this year haven’t shown marked improvement from the last two years, but he said Wednesday that he’s confident he’s taken a step forward.
“I woke up with a big smile on my face [Wednesday] morning, being able to come out here and be the guy this week for this team,” Lock said, via Kyle Newman of the Denver Post. “There’s a lot that I’ve learned being in that backup role, and what exactly it takes to be able to come out and win a football game. I learned a lot of that from Teddy. Now it’s time to put it all together and go show that I am a better quarterback than I was.”
It seems unlikely that Lock will be back under serious consideration for the starter role in Denver in 2022, but showing any improvement from his past outings isn’t going to hurt his pursuit of continued work somewhere in the league.
