Scangarello Talks About his Offseason Plan for Broncos QB Drew Lock

We already know that Drew Lock is planning on attacking the 2020 offseason as the Denver Broncos' QB1. He said so himself earlier this week.

“No, I’m going to approach it like I’m the guy," Lock said on Thursday in regards to his offseason plan. “I’m going to go in with that mindset.”

We also know that Lock plans to organize offseason throwing sessions with his Broncos receivers in an effort to build on the chemistry he'll have established over a five-game stretch as the starter in Denver.

When it comes to the offseason, some quarterbacks hire an outside position coach or specialist to help them work on and hone specific aspects of their game. Most NFL quarterbacks stay close to home during the offseason and we learned on Friday that Broncos OC Rich Scangarello has a plan in place for Lock that he'll go over sometime following the team's season finale.

“Every year with the quarterbacks, we always have an individual plan designed to help them in the offseason," Scangarello said on Friday. "First, you want them to get away and recharge their batteries a little bit. It’s been a long year. Then you want them to come out with an agenda and an objective to improve certain areas."

What are those areas for Lock that need to be improved? Scangarello was a bit cagey on the topic.

"For Drew, we’ll have a plan put together," Scangarello said. "We already do. We’ll sit down and finalize it before he leaves. We’ll talk while he’s gone, too. We’ve already kind of set the stage for that.”

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Scangarello has recognized the leap forward Lock has taken since arriving as a rookie this past spring. The 10-week exile Lock endured on injured reserve allowed him to acclimate mentally to the demands of an NFL quarterback, slowing down the learning process, as it were.

It's a big reason why Lock hasn't looked like a skittish rookie out there. He's getting rid of the ball quickly and with decisiveness, which speaks to a firm grasp of understanding defensive coverages and the Broncos' playbook. It's atypical of most rookies, who are traditionally more prone to 'burping the baby', holding onto the ball too long and taking unnecessary sacks.

Not Lock, though. Through four starts, he's only been sacked three times. That's a credit to the O-line, to be sure, but it also speaks to his command of the offense and poise in-game.

Lock has shown that he can walk the razor's edge of being a gunslinger and pushing the ball downfield, while also managing the game with touch and discretion. Scangarello appreciates the young signal-caller's ability to balance those traits.

“I think one of the things I’ve been very impressed with, and I think it’s a quality that will serve Drew very well in the NFL, is he knows when to push the envelope and when it’s time to be a smart football player," Scangarello said. "Finding that balance, I think the great players and the quarterbacks in this league, they know it. Sometimes you’re going to get caught and you’re going to do a little bit too much like he did against Kansas City. As a young player, you’ve got to learn from that. In the end, he’s been a very fast learner and he’s got a lot of ability to control his emotions when he needs to and then turn it on when he needs to.”

During the pre-draft process, Lock worked with QB Coach/Specialist Jordan Palmer to get ready for the NFL Combine and his pro day. Will the Broncos' new starting QB work with a specialist again this offseason as a pro? Scangarello has some recommendations, though he's keeping them under his hat for now.

“I’m not going to comment on that, but there’s definitely, yes," Scangarellos said. "There’s definitely a plan that can help him that some other guys that we’ve had have done and I’m hoping to see that happen.”

It'll be interesting to see exactly how Lock attacks this coming offseason. If his rookie campaign has been any indication, he'll maximize every resource available to him in order to be that much further advanced along his developmental curve as an NFL starting quarterback.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.

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