DENVER — The NFL got fleeting glimpses of Drew Lock’s potential last year. But too often, the shackles were on the then-rookie quarterback. The emphasis was on efficiency and incremental growth more than opening up the horizons for most of those five games.
The first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers, the first half of the romp over the Houston Texans, even his attempts to bring the team back from a multi-score deficit in Kansas City saw Lock test the limits.
But rarely did the Broncos push the ball downfield.
That’s what will change now with Pat Shurmur in command of the scheme.
“I think with this offense, there’s definitely more of the possibility of on regular downs — not actually full play-action — there’s more possibilities for us to press the ball downfield,” Lock said on a Zoom conference call with Denver-area media Tuesday.
Denver wasn’t exactly setting the world alight with its vertical passing game even before Lock settled in at quarterback. In the first 12 weeks of the season, with Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen starting, the Broncos ranked 21st in air yards per completion (5.84 yards), 26th in air yards per attempt (3.55), but 14th in the rate of completions that covered at least 20 yards in the air (one every 14.07 connections).
But then once Lock entered, the Broncos throttled back even further.
In those five starts, Lock averaged 4.70 air yards per completion, placing him 41st among 42 quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts. His rate of one completion of at least 20 yards through the air every 25 connections ranked 42nd.
That is not playing to Lock’s attributes. And while Shurmur’s offenses aren’t in the company of the bombs-away elite in terms of pushing the ball downfield, they do keep pace with the league averages.
In 2019, Shurmur’s Giants ranked 15th in air yards per completion (6.01 yards) and 18th in the rate of completions covering at least 20 yards in the air (one every 15.04 connections). In air yards per completion the previous season, the Giants ranked 18th, with 5.80.
Lock flourishes when he can uncork a deep pass with ample velocity. This was the most dynamic element he brought to the Missouri offense during his four years as the starter; he forced defenses to cover more ground because nothing within 60 yards of the line of scrimmage was out of reach for Lock to hit. He could even make these throws off-balance if he was under duress.
To crank it downfield means Lock can do what he does best. Further, he can capitalize off the ample speed that now exists in the pass-catching corps in the wake of a draft that brought a sub-4.3 wide receiver (K.J. Hamler), a sub-4.5 tight end (Albert Okwuegbunam) and a quick, precise route runner with vertical-stretch capability (Jerry Jeudy).
“I think [that] definitely plays into my strength, and will play into the receivers that we have on this team’s strengths,” he said.
But at this moment, there isn’t much Lock can do to build timing with his new pass-catching targets. Even offseason meetings have transformed with facilities closed and all gatherings done via Zoom conferences.
“You’ve got to get more vocal, not as much getting on the board,” Lock said. “It’s not awkward, but it’s definitely different to chime in [during] these meetings and have all the eyes looking at you on the screen.”
Still, he doesn’t have any hindrances in learning Shurmur’s scheme. The West Coast nomenclature used by the Broncos the last two seasons helps the transition.
“There’s similar carryover to the last one, where you can pocket that and you don’t necessarily have to study that as much because you’ve kind of already got that mindset down with the older stuff,” Lock said.
But the most important aspect is that Lock has learned how to learn.
“Even the newer stuff that I’m getting taught — it’s easier for me to learn because I’ve found the way that fits me best as far as learning the new offense goes,” he said. “So picking this one up has happened, I’d say, 10 times as quick as the first time.”
An offense that better suits his vertical-passing abilities, a scheme that he can learn more rapidly and targets who can get downfield and capitalize off of the fruits of Lock’s arm talent.
Those glimpses of brilliance are about to become long gazes. That’s great news for the Broncos, and a warning to their rivals in the AFC.
