Rollercoasters would be jealous of the steep ups and downs of Drew Lock's 2020 campaign.
In the past two weeks alone, the Denver Broncos' signal-caller went from throwing four TDs and being named FedEx Air Player of the Week against Carolina to a disastrous 132-yard passing outing with a fumble last week against Buffalo.
Lock's season has been a disappointment as the second-year QB struggled with turnovers, tossing 13 INTs to just 14 TDs in 11 games. Far too often, Lock’s mechanics get wonky and he tries to muscle balls into close quarters.
There have been a few bright spots where the strong-armed signal-caller flashes the potential to be a franchise playmaker. Unfortunately, the flashes have been few and far between for the five-win Broncos.
Despite the struggles, Broncos GM John Elway prefers to see the positives in Lock's growth.
"He's gone through his reads better and dumped some things off and continued to use the experience to get better," Elway told the team's official website. "Obviously, the inconsistency, that comes with being young, especially if you're young and you've got young guys around you ... like we do. It seems like when they all don't play well, they do it together. Again, we've just got to work on the consistency. And I think that Drew's had an up-and-down year, but we still like what we see in him and still think that he's got a chance to be a very good quarterback in this league."
Lock is Elway's latest attempt to fill the hole left by Peyton Manning. Since 2015, Denver has tried Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Brandon Allen and Lock under center. None has proven he can lead the Broncos back to the postseason.
Lock flashed dynamic playmaking in five games in 2019 as a rookie. The QB hasn't taken a step forward in his second season, but Elway still sees the raw talent that made Lock a second-round pick. With two weeks left in the 2020 season, Lock has a couple more opportunities to show he can even out his inconsistent play.
"Drew's got to continue to use these times as a valuable experience going into next year, the different coverages and the different looks he's getting, to be able to come back and hopefully work on some consistency," Elway said. "I think he's showed that there's some bright spots there, and he's done a heck of a job in a lot of situations. But to be able to be good and be great in this league, you've got to play with consistency and eliminate the mistakes. That's what we're looking for out of Drew, is hopefully eliminate some of those mistakes and keep showing us the things that he can do."
Elway spent the offseason buffering Lock with weapons. He signed Melvin Gordon and drafted rookie receivers Jerry Jeudyand KJ Hamler. The injury to rising star WR Courtland Sutton hurt, but Lock had the playmakers to help him improve in Year 2.
This offseason will be interesting for Elway. Does he seek out a potential upgrade at the position or give Lock one more season to show he can grow into a franchise quarterback?