ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – When it comes to the immediate future of Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock, newly hired general manager George Paton will be both judge and jury.
Paton, who was formally introduced to his new job on Tuesday, faces some big items on his immediate to-do list, with a decision on whether or not Lock will be the starter in 2021 and right on top after that. And it’s a decision that Paton has to dig into at first.
“The best way is for George to evaluate [Lock] not having myself and myself, [offensive coordinator] Pat [Shurmur] or [quarterbacks coach] Mike [Shula] affect his thinking, ”said Broncos coach Vic Fangio. Let him look at it with sterility and without prejudice. We can get back together and he can give his opinion based on what he saw. We can answer some questions for him. … [But] he can best form his own opinion without the influence of me or the other coaches. “
Lock, in his first full season as a starter, occasionally flashed his potential, especially along the trajectory, including his four-touchdown day on December 13 against the Carolina Panthers and his 339-yard, two-touchdown day in the season finale . But he also finished last year of the league’s starting quarterbacks with the completion rate (57.3) and was even for the most interceptions (15) as the Broncos had the worst sales margin in the league (-16).
The Broncos, who have started nine different quarterbacks since mid-2017 and also started Phillip Lindsay behind center against New Orleans this season due to problems with COVID-19, have missed the playoffs in each of the past five seasons. They haven’t finished above 19th in scoring since 2014 and were 28th in each of the past two years.
“I liked that Drew was out of line – big arm, athletic, playmaker,” said Paton. ‘I haven’t studied him. I have not made many tapes. I’ve only been here four days. I’ve watched enough bands to know that he has talent and that he can develop. ‘
Paton, who came to the Broncos after 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, the last nine of them as the team’s assistant general manager, has the final decision on the Broncos’ roster makeup, design, and free desk. He pointed out on Tuesday the importance of “stability” at the quarterback for a team that has had little of that since Peyton Manning retired.
He also said the Broncos will explore any possibility of improving the position while evaluating Lock.
“The quarterback is the most important position in the sport. If you don’t have stability with the quarterback, it will be difficult to win,” said Paton. “I think we all want the franchise quarterback, and that’s the number 1 goal is to try to design and develop or acquire in every possible way.”
Broncos president of football operations John Elway, who stepped down from the GM role and was a key figure in hiring Paton, has said he will give his thoughts on Lock to Paton, but that Paton does indeed have the final call. Elway has said he continues to appreciate Lock’s potential, but that Lock has to do it off-season.
“I’m still high on Drew; he has the physical capabilities to do it,” Elway said on Tuesday. “We will keep looking at that position – you always are – and looking at the opportunities that you have. George will go through that whole process, and whether there is an opportunity for us to get better in that position and better than we think that we have, then George will make that decision … I still think Drew is a young guy He showed flashes this year but he made mistakes Young quarterbacks always make mistakes I made a million mistakes my first two or three years, but that’s how you can learn from that. “