Fangio Confirms Broncos Will Activate Drew Lock & Dress him for Week 13
The Denver Broncos inched a little bit closer to the Drew Lock issue on Friday. Although fans hoped that head coach Vic Fangio would announce Lock as the starter for Sunday's home game vs. the Los Angeles Chargers, he mostly maintained his cagey posture on the issue.
Fangio wouldn't commit to Lock starting in Week 13 but he did bring Denver closer to the possibility by confirming that the rookie will be activated off injured reserve and dress for the game.
“We haven’t decided yet, but we’re definitely going to activate Drew tomorrow and he’ll be dressing on Sunday for sure," Fangio said Friday.
Earlier in the week, Fangio said that he could wait on the QB decision as long as "up until gametime" but he was pressed for a specific deadline on Friday.
“Probably tomorrow or tonight," Fangio said on when he'll make a decision.
Lock has received 75% of the first-team snaps this week. The team has liked what they've seen from their 2019 second-round QB thus far.
"I think he’s made progress each and every day," Fangio said. "When you go from getting basically 10 out of 40 or 42 reps to getting 32 out of 42 [reps] three days in a row, you should get a little better and feel a little more comfortable. I think he has.”
We know that support for Lock has grown within the Broncos' locker room. Offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello believes the kid is ready.
It feels like Fangio does, too. But the head coach is going to milk every last ounce of competitive advantage out of waiting to make the announcement, ostensibly forcing the Chargers to split their game-planning attention between Lock and Brandon Allen.
With NFL insider Ian Rapoport reporting on Friday that 'all signs' point to Lock starting in Week 13, fans should rest assured that Fangio's continued caginess is simply the gamesmanship of a 40-year veteran of the league. I'd be stunned if Lock doesn't start on Sunday.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
