Editor’s note: A Broncos quarterback competition can only mean one thing — another Broncos quarterback scoreboard. A fan favorite in the past, these stories will be posted after each and every training camp practice updating just how Denver’s quarterback competition is unfolding. At the end of each practice, 10 points will be divided among Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater with a cumulative score of the entire camp following. Which quarterback is in the lead? Find out now.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Vic Fangio ideally wanted to decide the Broncos’ starting quarterback sooner rather than later.
Unfortunately for the head coach, through eight practices, neither quarterback has pulled away with the job. Friday’s practice was another example of just how close Denver’s quarterback competition is.
Gun-shy Gunslinger
In the first two years of his NFL career, Drew Lock was a self-proclaimed gunslinger. At the start of training camp this year, he called an audible to that and created a new title of “calculated gunslinger.” Over the past few practices, and certainly on Friday, there’s been no “gunslinger” to his game.
In fact, in 13 drop backs during team period on Friday, Lock only had one completed pass that went further than 10 yards in the air. Only a single one.
During a move-the-ball period, facing a 3rd-and-13, Lock had his best throw of the day. Patiently sitting in the pocket, he waited until Tim Patrick planted his foot and cut his post into the middle of the field. Lock placed the ball just over the second-level defender and just under the safety to Patrick for a 20-yard completion. The perfect pass moved the chains and kept the drive alive.
However, there was one caveat to Lock’s best throw of the day. Drew likely would have been sacked before he even had the opportunity to throw the ball.
Outside of that throw, Lock’s day was full of short passes and checkdowns, which aren’t always bad, but as Fangio said earlier in the week those can’t be the only throws in a quarterback’s repertoire. During the second week of camp, Lock increasingly relied on the shorter passes, while removing the deep ball.
Even during 7-on-7s—a drill intended to put the passing game in an advantageous spot—Lock was very hesitant to throw the ball on multiple occasions. In fact, the whistle was blown multiple times, indicating a sack.
This was the case during team periods as well. While Dre’Mont Jones wrecked practice as he had three to four sacks immediately after the snap, there were other times when Lock just simply held onto the ball too long.
An issue that plagued both quarterbacks on Friday was inaccuracy.
When Drew did look deep, his passes were off target. With Patrick Surtain draped all over Jerry Jeudy 40 yards down the left sideline, Lock sidearmed a pass under pressure and put the ball yards ahead of his receiver. The next play, he overthrew Noah Fant as he headed toward the left sideline.
In back-to-back plays later in practice, with Jones breathing down Lock’s neck, Drew was unable to connect with his receivers. The first, he under threw the pass. The second, he overthrew Patrick. However, Lock likely wouldn’t have thrown the ball as Dre’Mont would have sacked him.
During a move-the-ball period, after connecting with Shaun Beyer on a checkdown, Lock hit Trinity Benson on a slant for a first down. However, he followed that up by under throwing Diontae Spencer on the left side. Then Lock threw his only interception on the day.
With heavy pressure in his face, Lock attempted to get the ball out. The pass was met by McTelvin “Sosa” Agim’s hand, floated in the air for just enough time for Josh Watson to fly across the field and make the diving interception.
Lock responded well on the next drive, moving the offense into field-goal range by hitting Melvin Gordon on a checkdown and then his 20-yard completion to Patrick.
Drew’s practice ended in a red-zone period that consisted of three running plays and one pass, which was incomplete.
Lock’s 7-on-7 goal-line period encapsulated his day well. The third-year quarterback was “sacked” twice, had one overthrow to Jeudy in the back right corner of the end zone and connected with Albert Okwuegbunam for a short gain. He ended the period on a high note, hitting Fant and K.J. Hamler on short slants for touchdowns. But, as Fangio stated earlier in the week, 7-on-7 periods don’t count as much as team periods.
As camp has gone on, Lock has detached himself more and more from the gunslinger mentality so much so that his style of play has almost become unrecognizable.
Roll Reversal
On the flip side, Bridgewater hasn’t been afraid to let the ball fly. In fact, for a second time this week, Teddy’s first pass of the day was a deep bomb (read below).
While Drew has tried to escape the label of “gunslinger,” Teddy has tried to escape the label of “Mr. Checkdown.”
On Friday, he attempted to do that by connecting on passes beyond 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage on a third of his drop backs in team periods.
Teddy connected with Albert O. for 20 yards in the middle of the field on 3rd-and-8. He followed that up in the next period by hitting Benson roughly 40 yards down the right sideline in tight coverage to put the offense inside the 10-yard line.
In the following move-the-ball period, Bridgewater picked up 15 yards on a completion to Patrick in the middle of the field. In the red zone, on the same drive, Bridgewater hit Spencer on a slant for a first down and a near touchdown.
The eight-year vet added to his deep passes during 7-on-7 as well. He connected for 20-yard completions to Benson and DeVontres Dukes and hit Albert O’s hands deep down the left sideline, although the athletic tight end couldn’t hold on.
But just because Teddy was connecting deep doesn’t mean he had a great day.
Bridgewater brought more of a gunslinger approach to the final goal-line period. Teddy’s first throw of the period was off a play-action boot to the left. With Justin Simmons trailing Fant as the tight end swept across the back of the end zone from right to left, Bridgewater rifled a pass in for a touchdown.
On the next pass attempt, the offense ran nearly the same play, if not the same one, and Bridgewater tried to make the same throw. But this time Simmons was all over it. With the All-Pro safety in front of Fant the entire time, Teddy still tried to zip the ball to his tight end. That left Simmons with an easy interception in the end zone.
Teddy also connected with Eric Saubert for a short touchdown pass during 7-on-7.
Much like Lock, Bridgewater was inaccurate on Friday as well. Teddy had nearly five incompletions due to poor passes, including overthrowing Albert O. deep down the left sideline and Jeudy down the right sideline.
His worst inaccurate pass likely should have been picked off. Targeting Hamler in the middle of the field, Bridgewater missed the speedy receiver by multiple yards, getting the ball much closer to Trey Marshall than his receiver. The safety wasn’t able to hold on.
After being consistently accurate for most of camp, Bridgewater looked like a different player on Friday. His deep-ball success, however, helped brush off the idea that No. 5 doesn’t like to go deep.
QB Play of the Day
On Friday morning, Bridgewater brought out Touchdown Teddy on his first play.
With pressure in his face, Bridgewater heaved it 50 yards down the left sideline to Jeudy. Despite tight coverage, No. 10 hauled in the deep ball in stride and took it in the end zone to start practice off with a bang. Teddy had perfect placement on the pass and it fell over Jeudy’s right shoulder into his receiver’s hands.
However, in a game, it’s possible the throw wouldn’t have even left No. 5’s hands as he could have very well been sacked. That’s the type of day it was for the quarterbacks.
Scoreboard
Friday was an all-around underwhelming day from Denver’s top-two quarterbacks. But as the saying goes, the scoreboard must go on.
Thanks to his multiple deep balls, Teddy just edged out Drew on the day to maintain his slim lead in the competition.
Daily 10-point scale score: 5.5-4.5, Teddy Bridgewater
Collective 10-point scale score: 42-38, Bridgewater
