Broncos Quarterback Scoreboard: Touchdowns make the difference on an extremely close Day 1

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. — On Wednesday, under the record-breaking heat, the Denver Broncos’ sizzling quarterback competition picked up right where it left off after the offseason program. Except for one slight difference.

“A little bit more piss and vinegar out there,” Vic Fangio said, explaining what was different with Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater during the team’s first training camp practice compared to OTAs.

While extremely unappetizing, the figurative piss and vinegar Drew and Teddy brought to practice actually translated well on the field.

“It was good,” the head coach said after practice, evaluating both quarterback’s first day. “I thought they both did well.”

Although bland, “good” was an apt description of how the two performed on Wednesday. In fact, the head coach may have even undersold his quarterbacks.

Calculated Drew

On Tuesday, Fangio locked in that Drew would get the first snap of training camp. Initially, Lock didn’t do much with that opportunity.

His first throw of camp was a completion for no gain to tight end Eric Saubert. Drew’s next drop back, he held on the ball too long and would have been sacked by Von Miller and then Dre’Mont Jones.

However, Lock started to gain momentum during 7-on-7s. After Bridgewater got the first series during this period, Lock started finding completions. Although they were all under 10 yards, the former second-round pick had four straight completions, including two to running backs.

To start the next 7-on-7 period, Drew displayed his biggest weakness on the day as he held the ball too long resulting in the play being blown dead, or viewed as a sack. While Lock’s decision making when he threw the ball was very good on Tuesday, his decision making on whether to throw the ball—and instead take a sack—still needs to improve.

The third-year quarterback bounced back nicely, finding Jerry Jeudy—the star receiver on the day—for a 20-yard completion in the middle of the field.

During the following team period, Lock found the end zone for the first time. After an incompletion on the left sideline, Drew looked deep. Lofting the ball 40 yards down field, Trinity Benson made a tremendous diving catch in the end zone for six. Lock led Benson as far as he possibly could while still being able to catch the ball and Trinity did the rest.

In the final two team periods, Lock displayed more big-play ability, while also holding the ball too long and taking a sack.

While Von got Drew in the backfield during practice, Lock drew Miller into the backfield on a nasty hard count. During the same series, Lock missed Courtland Sutton on the right sideline as he threw the ball too far behind him. Lock followed that up by taking another sack.

However, Drew showed resilience and finished the practice strong. After a short completion in the left flat, Lock hit a wide open Jerry Jeudy 30 yards down the field at the five yard line before No. 10 strolled into the end zone for Lock’s second touchdown on the day.

Lock capped off an encouraging first day with a 15-yard completion to offseason-darling Kendall Hinton.

After practice, Lock said he feels like a smarter player now than he was last year and admitted he has tweaked his gunslinger mindset.

“The gunslinger mentality can still be there, but it’s got to be calculated,” Lock stated. “I feel like the chances I do take are more calculated… I do know when to check it down.”

Lock displayed that during Wednesday’s practice as he didn’t put the ball in harms way, especially when he looked deep. Continuing to do that will play a major role in him winning the job.

Steady Teddy

Bridgwater wanted to start camp with a boom. Unfortunately for No. 5, he came inches—or even centimeters—away from that happening.

On his first pass of camp, Teddy dropped back and tossed the football 40-yards down field to a sprinting Tyrie Cleveland. No. 16 reached out, but was only able to make contact with the ball with one hand. That one hand wasn’t enough to make the catch as the ball hit the ground for a loud incompletion.

There’s an argument to be made that Bridgewater’s pass to Cleveland was nearly the exact same pass and placement that Lock made to Benson, however, Teddy’s receiver didn’t come down with the ball.

After just missing on the deep strike in the team period, Bridgewater made sure the ball wouldn’t hit the ground the rest of practice.

In the following two 7-on-7 series, Teddy didn’t have a single incompletion as he spread the ball out all over the field.

Bridgewater connected with six different receivers on six different passes. The veteran quarterback got Jeudy, Sutton, Saubert, Melvin Gordon, Andrew Beck and even Adam Prentice involved in the passing game. Unsurprisingly, the highlight of the completions was courtesy of Mr. Jerry Jeudy.

Smothered in coverage and running down the field on the right-side numbers, Bridgewater released the ball before Jeudy was out of his break. Immediately after Jeudy turned around, the ball was above his head. The first-round pick made a fantastic catch, relying on his instincts to react lightning fast. If Teddy hadn’t thrown the ball with anticipation, it likely would have been broken up or intercepted with the number of defenders in the area.

Teddy continued to string completions together in the next two team periods, where again he didn’t let the ball hit the ground. This included short completions to Jeudy and Noah Fant and a 20-yard strike to K.J. Hamler in the middle of the field.

Bridgewater’s only potential negative play on the day was when the whistle was blown as he was taking off down the field. The play would have resulted either in a sack or a short scramble.

Steady Teddy finished practice by remaining steady at completing passes as he added five more completions—without an incompletion—to his day.

After the first incompletion—that his Cleveland’s hand—Bridgewater strung together a whopping 14-straight completions to end practice.

On Wednesday, Teddy was steady at completing passes.

QB Play of the Day

Lock and Bridgewater had nearly identical 40-yard passes into the end zone on Wednesday. But whether Lock put his one inch closer to his receiver or Cleveland didn’t lay out for Teddy like Benson did for Drew, only Lock’s pass was caught. Because of that, that 40-yard touchdown earned the first play of the day from Broncos camp.

Scoreboard

Over the past five years, the Broncos have been very accustomed to the defense dominating camp, especially right out of the gate. Lock and Bridgewater didn’t let that happen on Wednesday.

Lock had the lower valleys and the higher peaks on Wednesday, while Bridgewater was consistently making positive plays.

Overall, Drew and Teddy both held their own against Denver’s stacked defense on the first day of camp. If they continue to progress from where they started on Wednesday, there will be a lot of hope surrounding whoever wins the job.

But one quarterback found the end zone on Wednesday, while the other didn’t. Although it’s extremely difficult to not give it to the quarterback who consistently made positive plays, points are what it’s all about. With that said, the slight edge goes to Drew Lock on Day 1 of camp.

Daily 10-point scale score: 5.5-4.5, Drew Lock

Collective 10-point scale score: 5.5-4.5, Drew Lock