Will the Broncos Activate Drew Lock off IR? Here's What Elway Said
The Denver Broncos got out to an 0-4 start before rattling off two consecutive wins in Weeks 5 and 6. With all signs pointing to an ugly loss coming at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7, trailing 27-6 in the fourth quarter, fans are frustrated with the play of QB Joe Flacco.
Flacco has been atrocious the last three games, even in the face of the Broncos winning two of them. The Broncos have converted just 6-of-37 third-down attempts in the better part of the last 12 quarters of play.
Meanwhile, rookie quarterback Drew Lock has been licking his wounds on injured reserve, trying to recover from the severe thumb sprain he suffered in the Broncos' third preseason game back in August. It was a curious decision to place Lock on IR to begin with, and everything I heard from sources close to the Broncos indicated the team originally planned to keep Lock there, essentially red-shirting his rookie year.
We heard GM John Elway say multiple times during the offseason, "[Joe] Flacco's the guy." We know Joe Flacco himself, unsurprisingly, wanted the Broncos to pass on using a premium round draft pick on a QB so that he could be the "understood" quarterback in Denver.
Elway couldn't resist taking Lock, though. However, knowing Elway planned on doing whatever needed to win now with Flacco at the helm, Locks' injury gave the Broncos a convenient opportunity to completely avoid any sort of QB controversy in 2019 by placing him on IR. And it would, in theory, allow Lock to work on the mental aspects of his game through a virtual reality program.
With the window to activate Lock approaching rapidly, Elway spoke to the issue last Friday during the team's celebration of the Ring of Fame/Top-100 Broncos of All-Time
“We’ll see. We’re going to play that by ear," Elway said. "We obviously have got a lot of guys on I.R. so we have to use those two the right way. We’re going to take it week by week and see how it goes. We have not made any decisions on what we’re going to do with those two slots yet.”
Also in the running are tight end Jake Butt, running back Theo Riddick and eventually wideout Tim Patrick. Lock, Butt and Riddick can begin practicing with the team again here in Week 7.
If he holds up well in practice, Lock can be activated following Week 8's bout with the Indianapolis Colts and he can be on the sideline, suited up as Joe Flacco's backup or replacement in Week 9.
Perhaps playing it "by ear" means the Broncos want to be sure Lock has healed up completely from his thumb injury, which was on his throwing hand. Lock broke his silence on his injury and prognosis last weekend in a discussion with 9NEWS' Mike Klis.
The rookie signal-caller revealed that he's no longer in pain when he grips a football, or when he throws.
“No, not when I’m throwing or grabbing things,’’ Lock said. “Now, if you were to smack it, yeah, it’d probably still hurt.”
What's best for Lock long-term has to also factor into the Broncos' decision. If Lock gets into the rhythm of practice and finds that he's experiencing pain or discomfort after throwing sessions, the Broncos wouldn't want to activate him and risk any additional damage to his golden throwing hand.
Lock is reluctant to speak out of school and say anything that would contradict Elway or put the front office in a bind. But reading between the lines of his discussion with Klis, it's not hard to deduce the kid wants to be out there again on the practice field and in the huddle with his teammates.
Elway might find it difficult to resist the temptation of activating players off IR who could step in and contribute right away, like a healthy Jake Butt or Theo Riddick could. But if this Broncos squad ends up finishing this season below .500 and the team never gets a look at Drew Lock, not only will it have been an utterly wasted season, but the front-office czar could be faced with a fanbase and media brandishing pitchforks out front of Dove Valley, calling for his head.
Better to have and not need than need and not have. In other words, it would be better to activate a healthy Drew Lock and end up not needing to play him than to disappear him on IR and go into the final quarter of the season mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and squander an opportunity to get the young QB experience and the front office an evaluation for the future.
Fans will have an answer on Drew Lock soon. Stay tuned. Flacco was so bad in the Chiefs game, it's hard to see even John Elway and Vic Fangio withstanding the urge to get the rookie out on the field as soon as humanly possible.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
