All offseason, the Denver Broncos have held a starting quarterback competition between Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater.
Lock has been a member of the Broncos for the past two seasons, starting 18 games with an overall record of 8-10.
He has thrown for 3,953 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions.
Bridgewater was acquired from the Carolina Panthers for a sixth-round pick this offseason.
Last season, Bridgewater started 15 games for the Panthers, compiling a 4-11 record.
He threw for 3,733 yards and a 15/11 TD/INT ratio.
Following the Broncos’ Week 1 preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, a 33-6 win, head coach Vic Fangio said there still isn’t a favorite to start between the two.
“They’re even-steven,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said after Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater played well in the first preseason game. https://t.co/BYcxpAoviZ
— Broncos Wire (@TheBroncosWire) August 16, 2021
Neither quarterback is necessarily a world-beater among the upper echelon of NFL gunslingers.
However, if the Broncos want to succeed, Lock should be the starting quarterback for Denver come Week 1 of the regular season.
Incumbent
Lock entered this battle as the incumbent, having experience leading the Broncos offense.
Of course, that could be a moot point as Bridgewater has 59 NFL games under his belt.
But Lock’s incumbency is more so a boon for the pass-catchers around him rather than just in his battle with Bridgewater.
The Broncos have done a great job in recently in acquiring young, talented play-makers.
They enter the 2021 season with players such as Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Tim Patrick, and Noah Fant.
The oldest of that bunch is Patrick at 27.
No other pass catcher listed is older than 25.
Lock didn’t have the greatest season last year, completing just 57.3 percent of his passes for 2,933 yards and a 16/15 TD/INT ratio.
However, if the Broncos want to develop these young pass-catchers, switching quarterbacks could hamper that development.
It is important that there is a strong chemistry between the team’s quarterback and receivers/tight end.
Lock has that built in chemistry.
Giving him the starting job would allow them to grow as pass-catchers rather than take a step back.
Week 1 Performance
Yes it was one game in a preseason matchup where the final score didn’t matter, but Lock looked like a star in his performance.
Overall, he completed five-of-seven passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
His biggest play of the day came on an 80-yard touchdown pass to Hamler.
Drew Lock connects from LONG RANGE with KJ Hamler 😳
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/IfuZZQegff
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) August 14, 2021
His second touchdown came on a four-yard pass to Trinity Benson.
Drew Lock to Trinity Benson for the #Broncos TD. pic.twitter.com/XhDL7jVhkl
— NFL Unlimited (@NFLUnlimited) August 14, 2021
In his pass to Hamler, Lock was able to stand tall in the pocket, plant his feet and deliver the deep ball.
In the touchdown to Benson, Lock showed he can move out of the pocket and create plays on his own.
Overall, against the Vikings, Lock had complete control of the offense and looked like a much more focused quarterback.
To be fair to Bridgewater, he had a pretty solid game as well.
He completed seven-of-eight passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, which also went to Benson.
#Broncos WR Trinity Benson gets his second TD of the game. This one comes from Teddy Bridgewater.pic.twitter.com/HCDu8O01Bf
— NFL Unlimited (@NFLUnlimited) August 14, 2021
Bridgewater was much more methodical in his approach as he looked to just move the chains rather than go for the big play.
He will have a chance to improve on his Week 1 showing as Fangio named him the Broncos’ Week 2 preseason starter.
But while it was just one game, Lock looked like a vastly improved quarterback.
Unless Lock stumbles or Bridgewater truly shines, it would be hard to take the ball out of the third-year pro’s hands.
One Last Chance
Lock has to understand that even if he wins the starting role, he is going to have a short leash.
But it isn’t like Bridgewater is going to completely revitalize the Broncos’ offense.
If Denver landed Aaron Rodgers or Deshaun Watson, who they were both connected to this offseason, that would be a different story.
Bridgewater does have a Pro Bowl to his name, but that was in 2015.
He has appeared in just one playoff game.
While Bridgewater makes for a fine backup, it’s not like Denver got the second coming of John Elway when they traded for him.
Lock is under team control for one more season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
If he falters, you have Bridgewater in the wings.
But to start the season, the Broncos should see what they truly have in Lock and see if he can become Denver’s starting quarterback of the present and the future.
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