Even if the Denver Broncos wanted to make a quarterback change and move on from veteran Joe Flacco, general manager John Elway says second-round pick, Drew Lock, is not an option. At least not yet.
Lock remains on injured reserve with a broken thumb and while head coach Vic Fangio said he would return to practice this week, Elway told Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic that Lock’s return is not currently in the cards and even implied the rookie may not make is back this season.
“I will say this: The most important thing for a young quarterback is not to put him out there before he’s ready,” Elway said. “So that is the most important thing and if he’s not ready, we’re not going to put him out there. That is the key thing. And as you know dealing with quarterbacks, it’s a very tough thing because if you don’t put him in a situation where he has a chance to be successful and he’s not successful, the whole roof will cave in. So we have to make sure that Drew is ready when he does get in there, if he does get in there.
“We’re still in the process of evaluating that. He is not ready to go right now, I will tell you that.”
Fan confidence is quickly waning in Denver as the Broncos rest at 2-5 and are on the heels of trading their best wide receiver, Emmanuel Sanders, to the San Francisco 49ers. Flacco has looked far from the Super Bowl champion he once was and there does not appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel.
Lock may not be the answer to all of those problems, but if he’s healthy enough to play, Elway and the Broncos have nothing to lose by trying to find out.
