Fangio Stops Short of Anointing Drew Lock as Broncos' Starting QB in 2021

Coming off that ugly defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills, fans and media alike have wondered how far the implications will stretch. Some have questioned whether GM John Elway will be relieved of duties, and many fans have called for the firing of head coach Vic Fangio.

But what about Drew Lock? Lock didn't have a great day vs. Buffalo but he did lead the Broncos on three touchdown drives and did not throw an interception for the second straight game, though he did lose another fumble.

On Monday, Fangio was given two chances to anoint Lock as the Broncos' understood quarterback for 2021 but in each case, the farthest he'd go was to acknowledge that everyone is still being evaluated with two games left in the season. It started with Fangio answering a Denver7's Troy Renck question in coach-speak on what he wants to see from Lock to close out the year.

“I just want to see winning football," Fangio said. "That's all we're here to do is we all have to play good enough to win football games, and that's all three phases. That’s all 11 guys that are out there at any given time. We've proven when we play well enough and coach well enough that we can do that. We just need to see it more often from everybody.”

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A deflection of sorts to suddenly include all 11 guys and all three phases instead of answering the Lock question directly. So, is Lock still being "evaluate" — meaning, is he still auditioning to be the guy in 2021?

“We're all being evaluated—players, coaches, everybody," Fangio said. "We're just looking for improvement from each and every player individually, each and every unit offensively, defensively, and the various phases of the kicking game. We need to improve, and we want to keep improving.”

Fangio chose not to answer the question, which is in itself an answer. There's a reason the head coach is reluctant to crown Lock for 2021 and that's because it's not his decision.

Elway makes that decision. Though, for what it's worth, a week ago when Fangio was asked about Lock's future, he used the 'C' word. Committed but in the past tense.

“Obviously, we’ve committed a lot to Drew here. We want to see him keep improving, and we’re hopeful and anticipating that he will," Fangio said last week.

Fast forward to Monday, and his message hasn't really changed all that much but the tonality did seem to shift. The question is, with how much the Broncos have invested into Lock, is the team getting a return? Have there been quantifiable improvements in Year 2?

It took a while to see them but yes, Lock has improved. Honestly, he's been a much better quarterback from Week 11 on.

One area that illustrates Lock's improvement, as well as that of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, is the red zone. In each of the Broncos' last seven trips inside the 20-yard line, Lock and company have punched it in for a touchdown.

With how bad the Broncos' red-zone efficiency was leading into Wee 13, going 7-for-7 since is a monumental leap forward. It shows development in the quarterback, because half of those have been touchdown passes, and Fangio would seem to concur.

"As we all know, we started off not as well in the red zone during the season, but as you noted, it's been better of late and that needs to continue, and I think that indicates growth," Fangio said on Monday." One of the true ways people measure quarterbacks at times is in the red zone and on third down. We've been much better in the red zone of late—now we've run the ball too, which has helped, and made some plays running the ball. We've had some different run-pass options with Drew down there, which he executed very well. It definitely does indicate some growing and some improvement in that area. That's vital for us to keep improving.”

With 16 NFL starts under his belt now, Lock is 8-8. On the season, he's 57.7% of his passes for 2,330 yards and 14 touchdowns, while throwing 13 interceptions. He's also rushed for 138 yards and two more touchdowns but keep in mind, he missed most of Week 2, all of Weeks 3 and 4, and all of Week 12.

Fans and media want an answer on Lock's long-term viability and job security right now. The Broncos aren't going to give it up, though.

The soonest we'll get an answer is in Elway's end-of-season press conference which will happen the Monday following Denver's final game vs. the Raiders. Whether Fangio will be sitting next to Elway during that presser is another open-ended proposition that remains to be seen.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.