Drew Lock Reportedly Running 'Full Offense' With Broncos Teammates Away from Facility

Drew Lock is jumping into the Broncos' new playbook with both feet.

We've known for going on a month now that Drew Lock is back in the Mile High City and has been throwing routes and working out with a few teammates at local parks. There have even been a few grainy images captured of the events. 

However, with the Denver Broncos' inability to offer and organize any type of in-person OTAs this year due to the coronavirus, Lock and his teammates have had to take the proverbial bull by the horns. Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic provided some great context into these practice sessions and who's in attendance. 

I'm told Drew Lock and a number of Broncos players are going full offense, running through the playbook on their own away from the facility. Courtland Sutton, KJ Hamler, Ja'Wuan James, Dalton Risner among them. Phillip Lindsay is a regular. Jerry Jeudy joined them last weekend.

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 12, 2020

Jhabvala also went on to acknowledge that some of the players listed have been kind of in and out "at different points" on these practice sessions with Lock as they "travel elsewhere" for training. It sounds like OL Dalton Risner, TE Noah Fant, and RB Phillip Lindsay have been the consistent attendees with Lock. 

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While Lock had the entire band together, though, time wasn't squandered. With Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler joining for last weekend's events, the Broncos struck while the iron was hot, getting in crucial reps together running the full playbook (or close to it) of new Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur, who's been unable to get hands on the players at any point since arriving in Denver. 

Shurmur isn't worried about the absence of OTAs really affecting the Broncos' product on the field this fall. He explained why during his Thursday virtual presser, touching on how the guys at the bottom of the roster will be the ones most affected by the shutdown.  

“Unfortunately in this year, I think the biggest kind of negative consequence to this year is some of the guys on the back end of the roster, you know when you put a roster of 90 guys together, those are the guys that haven’t had a chance to develop like they might have if we had a full offseason,” Shurmur said. 

Does that mean that the Broncos' streak of an undrafted rookie making the 53-man roster out of camp will come to an end? A UDFA has made the roster in 15 of the last 16 seasons. 

I still like the odds of a couple UDFAs, even without the OTAs, like DBs Esssang Bassey and Douglas Coleman. Don't sleep on UDFA RB LeVante Bellamy either. He could push Royce Freeman off the roster. 

As for Lock and the offense, they're fortunate to have banked a few reps in those five games together down the stretch last year, even though it was in a completely different system. The synergy and base communication is there. 

Having these more formal throwing sessions (likely inspired by Peyton Manning's advice) will take the edge off whatever negative effects of losing OTAs might have otherwise had on them. It's great to see these mostly young players taking the initiative and Lock's leadership serving as the lighting rod. 

"I think he’s got a really good feel for the game," Shurmur said of Lock. "He’s developing a good feel for what we want to do. If the rumor is true that he’s throwing to our players, I think he’s learning something there. We’ll just try to put it all together here come July.”

On a separate note, it should be encouraging to fans to hear that Ja'Wuan James has been at these informal practice sessions. Some fans — and understandably so — perceived James' inability to get on the field last year after receiving a massive $51 million contract as a lack of want-to. 

Whatever one's take on James is, his participation in these sessions with Lock and the dudes at least hints that he's healthy and ready to get back to playing football, and hopefully provide the Broncos at least a modest return on investment. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.