ENGLEWOOD, Colorado – When it comes to the immediate future of Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock, newly hired general manager George Paton will be a judge and juror.
Paton, who was formally introduced on Tuesday at his new job, faces some important objects on his immediate to-do list, with a decision on whether or not Lock is the initiator in 2021 and beyond. . And it’s a decision Paton must, at the very least, delve into on his own.
“The best way is for George to go and evaluate [Lock] himself and not having myself, [offensive coordinator] Pat [Shurmur] or [quarterbacks coach] Mike [Shula] “Influence your thinking,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said. “Leave him a sterile and unbiased look. We can get back together and he can express his opinions based on what he has seen. We can answer some questions to him. … [But] it’s better for him to form his own opinion without the influence of me or the other coaches. “
Lock, in his first full season as a starter, grew his potential at times, especially during the stretch, including his four-touchdown day on Dec. 13 against the Carolina Panthers and his 339-yard two-touchdowns in the end of the season. But he also finished last year among the league’s starting quarterbacks in finishing percentage (57.3) and tied for most interceptions (15), as the Broncos had the worst turnover margin in the league. league (minus-16).
The Broncos, who have started nine different quarterbacks since the middle of the 2017 season and have also started running Phillip Lindsay behind the center against New Orleans this season due to COVID-19 problems, have missed the playoffs in each of the last five seasons. Since 2014 they have not finished above the 19th mark and have been eighty in each of the last two years.
“I liked Drew coming out of the draft: big, athletic, game-creating arm,” Paton said. “I haven’t studied it. I haven’t gotten into a lot of tapes. I’ve only been here four days. I’ve seen enough tape to know he’s talented and can develop.”
Paton, who came to the Broncos after 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, the last nine as the team’s deputy general manager, has the final say on the composition of the Broncos roster, draft and free agency. He noted on Tuesday the importance of the quarterback’s “stability” for a team that has little of that behind the center since Peyton Manning retired.
He also said the Broncos will explore all avenues to improve position as they evaluate Lock.
“The quarterback is the most important position in sports. If you don’t have stability in the quarterback, you’ll have a hard time winning,” Paton said. “I think we all want the franchise’s quarterback, and that’s goal number 1 is to try to write, develop, or acquire in any way you can.”
The president of the Broncos’ football operations, John Elway, who stepped away from the role of GM and was a key figure in hiring Paton, has said he will offer his opinion on Lock to Paton, but that Paton will has the final call. Elway has said he continues to like Lock’s potential, but that Lock should get to work this offseason.
“I’m still in Drew; he has the physical abilities to do it,” Elway said Tuesday. “We will continue to look at this position (you always are) and see the opportunities you have. George will go through this whole process and if there is a chance to improve in this position, and better than we think, then George will make that decision … “I still think Drew is a young guy. He’s shown flashes this year, but he’s made mistakes. Young quarterbacks always make mistakes. The first two or three years, but that’s how you can learn from them.”