LOOK: Broncos' QB Drew Lock Throws With Teammates in Park Outside Denver
There's a good chance the Denver Broncos' players and coaches might be allowed to return to their UC Health Training Center sometime this month. Until all NFL teams can be allowed by their respective states to return employees to work, the league front office is mandating that no teams can allow players and coaches back to team facilities.
Competitive balance, etc. And it makes sense. Whatever impact the coronavirus pandemic has on the NFL from a competitive standpoint, it should be felt and absorbed equally among all 32 clubs.
Second-year quarterback Drew Lock might not be allowed to return to Broncos' facilities quite yet but that hasn't stopped him from getting some throwing sessions in. Lock returned to Denver a couple of weeks back after spending the majority of the lockdown period at his parents' home in Lee's Summit, Missouri.
We've heard a few apocryphal stories of Lock getting together with teammates to throw but we now have direct evidence that the young signal-caller is doing just that. A Twitter user by the name of @HustlerCar shared the following images that he claims he captured at Heritage Park in Lone Tree, Colorado last week.
While it's difficult to make out exactly who Lock's workout partners are in these images, I'd bet dollars to donuts that the fella standing directly behind Lock in the second image is Broncos' RB Phillip Lindsay. I can't say for certain, but it looks as if Lindsay might have one of his brothers there working out alongside or at least watching.
We expected Lock to get in as many throwing sessions as possible now that restrictions are being lifted, but it's especially encouraging to see Lindsay out there working with Lock. We can only assume that Lindsay is intent on honing his receiving skills after watching the Broncos hand Melvin Gordon $16 million over two years, thanks to the ex-Chargers' pass-catching acumen out of the backfield.
Lindsay is one of the most competitive people on the planet. And as he cleaned his locker out after the Broncos' season-finale win over the Oakland Raiders, he talked about his aspirations for becoming a better receiver this offseason.
"I'll get with a couple people, a couple running backs, honestly," Lindsay said as he cleaned out his locker. "Maybe [Panthers RB] Christian [McCaffrey], maybe even Theo [Riddick] if Theo's healthy. He's honestly one of the best route runners I've seen in the NFL. ... It's about repetition. I might go work with [Saints WR] Emmanuel [Sanders], really get into detail."
This photo evidence is a great indication that Lindsay is taking an 'all hands on deck' approach to becoming a better receiver, while building rapport and chemistry with his young QB. Both Lock and Lindsay figure to be bigtime leaders for the Broncos this year so it's nothing but good to see them joining forces to get on the same page in new OC Pat Shurmur's passing scheme.
UPDATE: On Wednesday, June 3, Broncos' rookie WR Jerry Jeudy posted an image on social media that hints he has arrived in Denver. If true, it's safe to assume Jeudy could soon be joining Lock and company on local park fields to practice, but there is one fly in the ointment. Jeudy has yet to sign with the Broncos.
That doesn't necessarily preclude him from practicing with Lock on his own time, but his representation will surely advise him to wait until his first-round contract is signed before risking any possible injury.
If you think you can make out anyone else in these photos, comment below!
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
