Here's what happened at the Denver Broncos' June 7 OTA

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — One could not stifle a groan after seeing the first pass play of the initial team period of the Broncos’ 2021 organized team activities.

After a pair of handoffs to open the 11-on-11 work, it was time for what matters and what will determine the ceiling of the Broncos’ 62nd season. It was time to put the ball in the hands of their passers and see what came next.

It got better — but the first glance was cringeworthy.

First up — perhaps the winner of the day’s coin toss — was Drew Lock.

The third-year veteran dropped back to pass, scanned the field, and, with time to throw thanks to a half-speed pass rush, he hesitated a beat before his arm went forward to throw. The problem was, the ball didn’t go with him.

As he began his forward motion, the ball slipped out of his hand. Without missing a beat, outside linebacker Malik Reed accelerated, hauled in the pass and took off for what would have been a pick-six under game conditions.

It was a fluke play. A freak moment. And yet it was the inauspicious start that no one wanted to the 11-on-11 phase of the Broncos’ offseason work — especially with more questions regarding the quarterback position alone than a game of Trivial Pursuit.

THESE QUESTIONS will understandably remain until the Broncos’ passing game improves. Denver has produced a meager 79.0 passer rating as a team since Super Bowl 50. Only the New York Jets are worse in that span.

The Jets drafted Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick; that heavy investment in a young quarterback bought them a momentary reprieve and time. No such buffer exists with a third-year, second-round quarterback and an eight-year veteran who finished last season in the precise middle of ESPN’s QBR metric, ranking 17th of 33 eligible passers.

The third-year QB is Lock, of course, and the unusual interception wasn’t his last errant throw of the day. During one seven-on-seven period, he hesitated as he looked right, then tried to zip a pass into the grasp of TE Eric Saubert. Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons diagnosed Lock’s intent perfectly and jumped the route, bobbling the football before securing what would have been a pick-six in game conditions.

Another Lock pass for WR Tyrie Cleveland was nearly intercepted, but rookie safety Jamar Johnson could not hang on. But Lock also flourished delivering the ball down the seam and around the hashmarks, with multiple completions that saw him fire bullets through tight windows.

Still, Lock appeared hesitant when he got beyond his first read, although Broncos coach Vic Fangio does not believe this is the moment for concern.

“I think it’s too early to come to any conclusions one way or the other — even a small conclusion. Mike [Shula] and [Offensive Coordinator] Pat [Shurmur] are working with him on that stuff. I’m not worried about it at this point,” Fangio said.

Johnson did corral an interception, picking off Bridgewater when the veteran quarterback looked for Diontae Spencer on a deep pass near the goal line. That was the most significant blight on an otherwise solid day for Bridgewater.

The most promising aspect of Bridgewater’s work Monday was the cohesion he displayed with second-year wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. They hooked up on a 35-yard touchdown pass, had another downfield connection and had a pass near the sideline that Jeudy caught in a tight window. Jeudy celebrated that reception with a spike of the football and an embrace from two offensive teammates.

MORE ON JOHNSON: Given that his signature college performance at Indiana was a two-interception game against Justin Fields and Ohio State last November, it isn’t a surprise that Johnson has been around the football often during the three OTAs open to media viewing.

“I think he’s done good in picking up what we’re doing,” Fangio said. “By no means is he where he needs to be, but I think I he’s having a nice, logical progression in that regard. I don’t remember saying he was a ballhawk, but that would be good if he was. We need him to make sure he’s a ball-carrier-tackling ballhawk, too. That’s where the big difference is going to be. He needs to tackle better than he did in college this past year.”

NOTES:

• Fangio said he thought Lock had a “little blister” on one of his fingers during Monday’s practice.
• Free-agent signee Kyle Fuller practiced Monday after not being on hand for the previous two weeks. With fellow free-agent pickup Ronald Darby not on hand, Fuller quickly stepped in and saw extensive work. “He should have a very, very fast learning curve,” Fangio said.
• S Kareem Jackson and RB Melvin Gordon III were not on hand for the voluntary practice.
• LT Garett Bolles was out once again for family reasons. Fangio said he expected Bolles to return next week … RT Bobby Massie sat out due to a strained pastoral muscle. OT Calvin Anderson was also sidelined, working out on a side field … With Bolles, Massie and Anderson out, Quinn Bailey worked at left tackle, with Cameron Bailey on the right side.
• WR Tim Patrick worked out on a side field because of a hamstring issue. “He probably could have practiced, but we decided to not practice him,” Fangio said.
• WR K.J. Hamler joined Patrick on a side field. Hamler missed time last week because of a hamstring issue.
• Rookie Max Duffy handled punting chores Monday, and his focus was on placement punting, aiming inside the 20-yard line and outside the numbers. During one period of practice, Duffy had 20 such punts, and all of them had at least 4.24 seconds of hang time, according to my smartphone stopwatch.