Often times when talking about the 2019 Quarterback class, people mention Kyler Murray, Daniel Jones, Dwayne Haskins, and Gardner Minshew. Those four are great young QBs in their own right, but one name often gets lost in the fire: Broncos QB Drew Lock. Here are three reasons why Lock will have a breakout year:
- The Broncos surrounded him with talent
The Broncos already had a solid foundation on offense with WR Courtland Sutton, TE Noah Fant, and RB Phillip Lindsay. In the off-season, GM John Elway made it his mission to give Lock as much help as possible. He went out and signed RB Melvin Gordon to help bolster the backfield. He also drafted WR Jerry Jeudy, WR KJ Hamler, and TE Albert Okwuegbunam. Drew Lock will be happier than a kid on Christmas with this offensive core.
- Better OC in Pat Shurmur
Lock is a gunslinger in every sense of the word. Former Broncos OC Rich Scangarello was not using Lock’s best attribute: his arm. Scangarello wasn’t a fan of calling plays that involved deep throws. So as he departed, in came Pat Shurmur. Shurmur was the key in Daniel Jones’ success last year with the Giants. He is an aggressive play caller. This will help Lock’s development significantly.
- The way he ended the season
The Broncos were in a stalemate before Lock came in as they were 3-8. They went 4-1 in their last 5 games with Lock at the helm. He threw 7 TDs, and 3 picks but the offense was significantly better with him under center. Lock clearly gave a much needed jolt of energy into the offense, and hopefully he can build on that in 2020.
A lot of Quarterbacks have broken out in the last couple of years like Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Based on the reasons above, I strongly believe that Drew Lock can be the next.
