If and when the Texans decide to entertain trade offers for Deshaun Watson, the Broncos are expected to be one of the teams who will pursue the quarterback.
But until that time, Denver has Drew Lock — a quarterback who just finished an up-and-down 2020. A second-round pick in 2019, Lock completed just 57.3 percent of his passes for 2,933 yards with 16 touchdowns. He ended the year with 15 interceptions — tied with Carson Wentz for the league lead.
When General Manager George Paton was hired in January, he said he needed time to properly evaluate Lock. Now that he’s had it, Paton sounded like most when discussing the young QB.
“Very talented, was inconsistent at times, has a lot to work on,” Paton said during his Thursday press conference. “But I’ve spoken with Drew, I see him every day. He’s here early. He’s working. He really wants to be great. And we’re always going to try to bring in competition at every position, and quarterback as well. But I like the track that Drew’s on.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it also isn’t, “He’s our quarterback at this moment.”
Paton went on to say that there’s plenty he hasn’t been able to evaluate from Lock because he hasn’t watched the QB play a live game.
“You like to see them in critical situations. You like to see the accuracy. How is he with his teammates? What’s the leadership like?” Paton said. “There’s so much involved when evaluating the quarterback. So I look forward to evaluating Drew further in person. But he does have all the traits you look for in a quarterback.”
Lock has shown promise at times, particularly when he threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns in an upset 38-24 victory over the Texans as a rookie. And then he tossed four touchdowns in a 32-27 victory over Carolina in 2020.
But as Paton said, Lock has to be more consistent to settle in as Denver’s franchise quarterback.